Warriors: Fire of the Clans
by GingerFlight
Summary: Sandypaw is always teased because of her HalfClan heritage.She is determined to prove them wrong,and will do anything to show her loyalty.But this is harder than she thought, especially when she falls in love with the deputy...when he already has a mate.
1. Chapter 1

** Warriors: The Fire of the Clans **

** Summary: Sandypaw is always teased for her Half-Clan heritage. She is determined to prove them wrong, and will do anything to show her loyalty to FireClan. But she finds that this is harder than she thought, especially when she falls in love with the deputy...when he alredy has a mate.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own warriors. Erin Hunter does. (Which you know) **

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**FirClan**

LeaderOakstar-creamy brown tabby tom

DeputyFlamefur-handsome dark ginger tom

Medicine Cat Webclaw-ghostly white tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Graypaw

Warriors

Berrystream-creamy brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Bloodpaw

Shockfur-golden tom with white patches and shocking blue eyes

Apprentice, Furrypaw

Witherclaw-dark brown tom with a ragged ear and ice-blue eyes

Apprentice, Tabbypaw

Sorrelwing-tortoiseshell she-cat

Talltooth-long legged white tom with orange eyes

Apprentice, Silverpaw

Tanfeather-light brown she-cat with a dappled coat and green eyes

Apprentice, Frailpaw

Lightningfur-huge golden tom with one white paw and copper eyes

Apprentice, Brackenpaw

Glaciercloud-pure white she-cat with two silver paws and dark blue eyes

Apprentice, Sandypaw

Snowyfeather-white she-cat with ice-blue eyes

Cedarfur-dark brown tom with lighter flecks

Apprentice, Weedpaw

Thrushpelt-light brown tom with darker flecks and pale green eyes

Scrawnyfur-long haired pale brown tom with ice-blue eyes

Goldenpelt-golden tabby tom

Apprentice, Blazepaw

Dewfeather-silver she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Shrubpaw

Willowheart-long haired gray tabby tom, blue eyes

Apprentice, Ravenpaw

Rosecloud-light brown tabby she-cat with wavy fur and blue eyes

Apprentice, Whisperpaw

Bearfoot-huge brown tom with lighter paws and green eyes

Apprentice, Swipepaw

Sprucefoot-long legged brown tabby tom

Cloverwing-beautiful light brown she-cat with a wavy tail, clover colored eyes

Apprentice, Swirlpaw

Fogpelt-silver tom with dark blue eyes

Apprentice, Frecklepaw

Wildfeather-brown tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Clawpaw

Apprentices

Graypaw-silver she-cat with warm gray eyes

Bloodpaw-ginger tom with white and gray flecks, amber eyes

Furrypaw-long haired white to with ginger stripes

Tabbypaw-brown tabby tom with dark blue

Silverpaw-silver tom with black flecks and green eyes

Frailpaw-pretty brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Brackenpaw-ginger tom with long legs and pale blue eyes

Sandypaw-stunningly beautiful ginger she-cat with a white splotch on chest that's shaped like a heart, emarald green eyes

Blazepaw-dark ginger tom with very long claws

Shrubpaw-silver tabby tom

Ravenpaw-black tom with gray paws and amber eyes

Swipepaw-light brown tom with gray spots on legs

Swirlpaw-beautiful long haired silver tabby she-cat

Frecklepaw-slender white she-cat with small brown specks on her feet and muzzle. Eyes change color with her feelings

Clawpaw-gray tom with ice-blue eyes

Queens

Sparkflower-silver she-cat with light blue eyes

Elders

Pawflower-once pretty white she-cat with a black splotch on flank that's shaped like a pawprint

Halfear-brown tom with three golden paws, only one ear

**CloudClan**

Leader Rockstar-solid gray tom with blue eyes

Deputy Elmfoot-jet black tom with brown paws, ice-blue eyes

Medicine Cat Darkfoot-small tabby tom with one black paw

Warriors

Pouncefoot-brown tabby tom

Apprentice, Sootpaw

Smudgepelt-black-and-white tom, formally a rogue

Graystream-gray tom with a short tail and amber eyes, formally a rogue

Apprentice, Applepaw

Runningfoot-silver tabby tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Snowpaw

Crowfoot-smoky black tom

Apprentice, Petalpaw

Barkfur-dark brown tom with black stripes

Honeyflower-golden she-cat with white paws

Willowflower-beautiful ginger she-cat, deep green eyes

Quailfeather-gray tabby tom orange eyes

Queens

Daisycloud-pretty white she-cat with golden splotches

Elders

Applestream-ginger she-cat with sandy colored patches

**AirClan**

Leader Patchstar-brown tom with white patches

Deputy Meadowstream-light brown she-cat, sea colored eyes

Medicine Cat Feverclaw-white tom with brown spots

Warriors

Fernfeather-small ginger she-cat with gray paws

Apprentice, Huntingpaw

Barkfoot-dark brown tom with white paws

Apprentice, Bearpaw

Mistflower-small white she-cat with one gray paw

Eaglestripe-black tom with brown stripes

Flyfur-gray tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Hillpaw

Flowertail-light gray tabby she-cat

Apprentice, Hazelpaw

**WaterClan**

Leader Shellstar-white she-cat with a golden tail and paws

Apprentice, Splashpaw

Deputy Riverstorm-long haired gray tabby tom

Apprentice, Foxpaw

Medicine Cat Cottonleaf-fluffy white she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors

Yewclaw-ginger tom with long claws

Apprentice, Hawkpaw

Poolcloud-silver tabby she-cat

Dirtfur-dark brown tom with copper eyes

Pebblefur-light gray tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Woodpaw

Rushingstream-long haired silver she-cat, dark blue eyes

Tigerstripe-dark ginger tom with a black stripe running down back

Apprentice, Icypaw

**Cats Outside Clans**

Oreo-black-and-white kittypet that lives in Twolegplace

Nellie-golden tabby kittypet that lives with Oreo in Twolegplace

Night-black tom that lives on farm

Rose-light brown she-cat that lives on farm with Night

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** Fireclan is a lot like ThunderClan, CloudClan is like ShadowClan, and you can figure out the rest. Alright, that's settled. Now, review!**


	2. Prologue

** I just want to say, hi. Alright, that's done. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. Yeah, and if you want to give me advice, I won't stop you. Well, that's done, so start reading!**

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A dark ginger tom watched as the sun rose over the trees, making his pelt glow like a flame. He turned to go back inside the warriors den, but a voice calling out his name made him stop. He turned to see the medicine cat making his way towards the HighBoulder. He sat down as the medicine cat came near. "Flamefur," the white tom meowed. "I must tell you something. I had a dream from StarClan."

Flamefur stared at him. "What are you telling me this for, Webclaw?" he replied after a moments pause . "You should inform Oakstar about this, not me." Webclaw shook his head. "Oakstar is asleep, and I don't want to wake him. You can tell him tomorrow." Flamefur considered this for a moment.

"Alright," he said. "What did StarClan tell you?" Webclaw closed his eyes. "Snow will rise and tower above fire, air, water, and clouds," he murmured. "But sand will wipe it away, and peace will be restored to the forest."

Flamefur thought about what Webclaw had just said. "What does it mean?" he asked. Webclaw shook his head. "StarClan have mysterious ways of telling us these things," he replied. "I do not know what it means. We will just have to wait and find out."

Webclaw went back to his den, leaving Flamefur alone in the clearing. He stared up at Silverpelt, where the stars were twinkling brightly. "Alright, StarClan," he murmered. "If sand will bring peace, so be it." With a last look at the stars, he walked into the warriors den for the night.

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**I'm sorry that the prologue is short, but I couldn't think of anything else to put in here. It's not really that exciting, I'll admit, but at least you know the prophecy. I won't tell you what it means, you'll just have to keep on reading. Review!**


	3. Chapter:1

**Alright, here's the first chapter! Thanks to all those who reviewed. This is going to be a good story, I can tell. But it depends all on what you think, so enjoy!**

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Sandypaw woke to see bright morning sunlight streaming through the apprentices den. She sat up, stretched, and looked around. Most of the apprentices were already up. She scrambled out of the den and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. Her stomach growled as she approached, and she made to grab a juicy looking vole.

Before she could even touch it, a black paw reached out and grabbed the vole. Sandypaw looked up to see a black tom staring smugly at her.

"Give me back my vole, Ravenpaw," Sandypaw growled at the black cat. Ravenpaw grinned. "It's not your vole," he meowed. "You didn't even touch it."

Sandypaw rolled her eyes and reached for a mouse, but Ravenpaw grabbed it and placed a paw on top of it. Sandypaw glared at him. "Give that back, it's mine!" she snarled. Ravenpaw stood up, his fur brisling. "You're not going to eat anything here, Half-Clan!" Sandypaw unsheathed her claws and flattened her ears on the side of her head. Ravenpaw noticed this, and his grin grew wider. "Why don't you run back to CloudClan, Sandypaw?" he taunted. "After all, they usually take in unloyal cats, don't they? You'd fit perfectly there."

"Are you saying I'm not loyal?" Sandypaw growled, taking a step towards him. Ravenpaw smirked. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Sandypaw pounced on him. He did not even try to fight back. Instead, he made to avoid her attacks. Sandypaw could hear a faint voice, but she did not care. If Ravenpaw doubted her loyalty, then he would get his eyes scratched out! What would he think of her loyalty then?

Sandypaw lunged at him again, but something stopped her. She turned to see her father, Talltooth, holding onto her scruff, while Willowheart, Ravenpaw's mentor, was bending down next to his apprentice, who gave a moan of pain. Then Ravenpaw caught Sandypaw's eye and grinned wickedly. Realization hit Sandypaw. Ravenpaw was faking! He was not hurt at all, he just wanted to see Sandypaw get in trouble.

This angered Sandypaw even more, and she tried to free herself of her father's grip, but he held on tight. As he did so, Willowheart stood up, his blue eyes blazing. "Why did you attack my apprentice?" he demanded. Sandypaw did not answer, but she stopped struggling against her father and wondered what would happen to her. She had just attacked a clanmate! Would she be sentenced life in exile? Sandypaw prayed to StarClan that she wouldn't.

She heard Willowheart say, "She's vicious, just what I would expect of a Half-Clan, don't you agree?" A few cats murmered in agreement. Sandypaw fell to the ground as Talltooth released her. "She is also my daughter," he meowed to the gray tom. Willowheart's tail twitched. "She may be your daughter, but why did she attack my apprentice?" Talltooth sighed and meowed, "Why don't we let Oakstar ask her these questions?"

"Oakstar is not here," meowed a deep voice. A dark ginger tom came up to Willowheart and stared steadily at him. "What did you say, Flamefur?" Willowheart snarled. "Oakstar is not here," Flamefur repeated. "He is leading a patrol. But if you wish, I will ask Sandypaw of why she attacked your apprentice."

Sandypaw's heart lifted. If Oakstar had been interrogating her, he would have most likely listened to the word of a fellow warrior rather than a Half-Clan. But Flamefur was different. He would give her a chance to explain what had happened. She didn't hear a word anyone said until Talltooth yelled, "Sandypaw!"

Sandypaw looked up at her father, who sighed and said, "I was just asking you if you want to tell Flamefur what happened." Sandypaw nodded and stood up to follow Flamefur, who was walking away. She was expecting them to go into the warriors den, and was surprised when Flamefur veered towards Oakstar's den. "I want to ask you what happened privately, and the warriors den is quite crowded right now," Flamefur meowed as he saw Sandypaw's questioning look. "T-Thanks," Sandypaw said, startled that Flamefur was showing such genorosity, quite unlike the other cats.

As they approached the huge cave under the HighBoulder, Sandypaw felt her paws tingle in excitement. She had never been in the leader's den before, and she zoomed ahead eagerly. But then she remembered that Flamefur was the deputy, and that he ought to go first. She stepped aside as he passed, then went in.

Sandypaw gazed at her surroundings, her mouth hanging open. She had never imagined that there could ever be anything as wonderful as this den. There was a little pool in one corner, just like the elders den, and there was a small pile of fresh-kill in another corner that the apprentices had gathered for their leader. The ground in the den was soft underfoot, and the stone walls prevented harsh weather from entering.

Sandypaw sat down on a soft pile of moss, still awestruck. Flamefur noticed this and chuckled. "Yes, it is a nice den, isn't it? But now, back to what we came here for. Why did you attack Ravenpaw?"

Sandypaw stared at her paws, trying hard to look anywhere other than Flamefur's face. "He provoked me," she answered quietly. "He called me a Half-Clan and said I wasn't loyal." Sandypaw finally looked up at Flamefur and saw sympathy in his eyes. It was common knowledge that Sandypaw's mother, Tanfeather, had originally come from CloudClan. Though it was against the warrior code, Tanfeather had fallen in love with the young FireClan tom, Talltooth. Their love had remained a secret until a CloudClan warrior had caught Tanfeather meeting up with Talltooth. The CloudClan leader, Rockstar, had made Tanfeather a rogue after being informed, and, free to do what she wanted, went to FireClan and had kits with Talltooth. The kits weren't exactly Half-Clan, since Tanfeather was a warrior of FireClan at the time of their birth, but they still had relatives in CloudClan, which was all some cats needed to start taunting Sandypaw about her heritage.

It was a moment before Flamefur answered. "I see," he meowed finally. "I will talk to Willowheart about this."

"It won't make any difference," Sandypaw mewed bitterly. "I bet he'll agree with Ravenpaw." Flamefur shook his head and murmered something Sandypaw couldn't hear. Then he stood up and said simply, "I trust you, Sandypaw. And I'll make sure Willowheart talks to his apprentice. Ravenpaw will have to have a punishment since he provoked you into attacking him. Now, go to Webclaw and get something for those scratches. That one looks really bad." He flicked his tail at a deep gouge in Sandypaw's flank, where one of Ravenpaw's claws had caught in her skin. Sandypaw looked up at Flamefur and mewed her thanks. Flamefur gave a little nod and left Sandypaw alone in the den.

Sandypaw got to her paws and stretched. She felt a sharp pain in her flank, and turned her head around to see a blood coming out of the wound. She decided she had better get up to Webclaw's den quick, before the bleeding became worse. Sandypaw walked out of the small cave and headed for Webclaw's den.

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Sandypaw winced as Webclaw's apprentice, Graypaw, pressed some cobwebs onto her flank wound. Graypaw looked at her with concern. "Oh, Sandypaw," she sighed. "Why do you get yourself into these messes? I really care about you, you know." Sandypaw smiled her first true smile of the day at Graypaw's words. Graypaw was one of her best friends, along with Flamefur and Bloodpaw. Sandypaw was thankful that at least she had a few friends in FireClan, and for the fact that not _everyone_ made fun of her.

Sandypaw was shaken out of her thoughts as Webclaw appeared and studied the way Graypaw put the cobwebs on Sandypaw's flank. "That's very nice, Graypaw," he commented. "You catch on quickly. But I'll take over from here." Graypaw nodded and went to the back of the den.

With Graypaw out of earshot, Sandypaw was free to tell Webclaw what was on her mind. She turned to the white tom and meowed, "Webclaw, I need to talk to you. It's about-" Sandypaw could not bring herself to say the word. Webclaw nodded in understanding and sat down, still pressing the cobwebs on her wound. Sandypaw mewed, "You know how most of the cats here tease me about my Half-Clan heritage? Well, they tease me, but they don't say anything about it to you, or-or Sorrelwing, or Witherclaw, or Furrypaw. It's always me!" Sandypaw's tail twitched. "You're my brother, and the other three are Tanfeather's kits also ," she continued. "So why is it that you're not called unloyal or Half-Clan, like I am?"

Webclaw shook his head and sighed. "I couldn't imagine anyone yelling insults at me," he meowed. "I'm the medicine cat. They respect me. Now, Sorrelwing, Witherclaw, and Furrypaw have all done something that makes the Clan respect them. The rest of the cats just haven't seen you show anything to prove your loyalty to FireClan."

Sandypaw stared at him for a moment, trying to take in what he had just told her. "So you're saying," she said thoughtfully. "That if I do something to show my loyalty, I won't be teased anymore?" Webclaw shrugged. "Perhaps. Try it and see. I think you can go now," he added. "The wound has stopped bleeding. Oh, and stay clear of Ravenpaw!" he yowled as Sandypaw got up to leave. She nodded, not quite sure if staying away from Ravenpaw would help things a bit, but she would take her brother's word for it.

After she got out of the den, she saw some cats glancing in her direction and muttering under their breath. It seemed as though word had traveled around the camp about Sandypaw's attack on Ravenpaw. Sandypaw stared ahead of her, trying to ignore the other cat's whispering.

As she passed by the elders den, Sandypaw had the satisfaction of seeing Ravenpaw trying to take out the ticks of Halfear, looking deeply disgusted. Sandypaw snorted. This must be Ravenpaw's punishment.After lingering for a moment, she stepped away and headed towards the apprentices den.

As she passed the fresh-kill pile, someone stopped her. She whirled around and saw a white she-cat with ice-blue eyes sitting only a tail-length away from her. "Sandypaw," the white cat meowed. "Snowyfeather," Sandypaw meowed cooly. Snowyfeather was one of the many cats that teased her about her heritage, but Sandypaw always tried hard not to retort to her insults, since Snowyfeather was Flamefur's mate.

"That was some fight you put up," Snowyfeather continued. "For a _Half-Clan_ anyway." Sandypaw bristled slightly, but didn't respond. Brushing past Snowyfeather, Sandypaw made her way back to the apprentice den. A ginger to with gray and white flecks stood waiting for her. "Hi, Bloodpaw," she said glumly. Bloodpaw looked over at Snowyfeather. "What did she say?" he asked. Sandypaw sighed. "Same as usual. That I'm a little Half-Clan." She paused. "You know what, Bloodpaw. I'm sick and tired of being called unloyal. I'm going to prove that I _am_ loyal, that being a Half-Clan cat doesn't mean that you're untrustworthy."

Bloodpaw scrambled to his paws. "And I'll help you," he promised. Sandypaw looked over at him, surprised. "What? Are you sure, Bloodpaw?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Bloodpaw meowed, giving Sandypaw a friendly nudge. "That's what friends are for, aren't they?"

"I'll help you too." Both Sandypaw and Bloodpaw turned to see Graypaw staring at them, leaning against the walls of the apprentice den. "Were you listening to every word we said?" Bloodpaw asked. Graypaw rolled her eyes. "I thought that was obvious. Anyways, I was just passing by and I overheard you two talking. The point is, I want to help you, Sandypaw."

"Thanks, Graypaw," Sandypaw meowed. She felt much better about this idea now that she had her friend's support. But she didn't exactly know how to show the Clan that she was loyal. "We'll see what we can do tomorrow," Sandypaw meowed, trying hard not to show her uncertainty. Both Graypaw and Bloodpaw nodded. Graypaw said good-bye and went back to the medicine den. Bloodpaw entered the apprentice den and gestured for Sandypaw to follow. She glanced at the medicine den, sighed, and padded inside the den.

She flopped onto her nest. She heard felt Bloodpaw lay down beside her and meowed good night. Bloodpaw purred and curled up in his nest. Sandypaw watched him fall asleep, but she wasn't ready to close her eyes just yet. She pondered over what Webclaw had said, and stared at nothing in particular. Then she glanced outside. The warriors of StarClan were just appearing up in the night sky, their light shining through the trees. Their presence brought Sandypaw reasurrance that everything would be alright, and she felt herself nod off to sleep.

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**That's one of my favorite chapters! Don't you hate Ravenpaw, though? If you don't see anything wrong with him, I suggest you go see a doctor, because I certainly see something wrong with him. He's a bully. And he'll get worse, too. Okay, in the next chapter, Sandypaw will try to do something to show her loyalty. I won't tell anymore. Just review!**


	4. Chapter 2

**Ooh, boy! The next chapter's here! I am so sorry this took so long to update! Now, I want to thank all those who reviewed for the first chapter. I really appreciate it! Ok, on to the story!**

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Sandypaw padded into camp, dragging a huge pheasant in her jaws. Her mentor, Glaciercloud, watched her. As Sandypaw dropped her prey into the fresh-kill pile, Glaciercloud walked over to her, her face filled with pride. "You caught that yourself, Sandypaw?" the white she-cat asked, staring at the pheasant. Sandypaw nodded and sat up a little straighter. Glaciercloud smiled warmly. "This will feed half the Clan! Good job, Sandypaw!" 

Sandypaw smiled back, happy that she had done something good for her Clan. As she passed the apprentice den, Ravenpaw sneered at her, "How'd you catch that pheasant, Sandypaw? Did you have to ask someone to get it for you?" Sandypaw glared at him, but didn't answer. She started to walk away, but bumped into Goldenpelt. "I'm sorry!" Sandypaw mewed hastily. Goldenpelt looked down on her. "No need to worry, Sandypaw. I heard that you caught a pheasant today. I haven't seen an apprentice catch a pheasant since I was a kit! Glaciercloud trained you well."

Sandypaw glowed with pleasure, especially when she saw that Ravenpaw's smirk had been wiped off his face, to be replaced by an enraged look. Sandypaw smiled and turned to look back at Goldenpelt, one of the few cats who did not yell insults at her. Sandypaw was particularly glad of this, since Goldenpelt was Flamefur's father. She backed away to let him pass by, and then she headed off in search for Bloodpaw.

She finally found him in the medicine den, where Graypaw was trying to pull a thorn out of his paw. Graypaw looked up as she heard Sandypaw come in. "Oh, hi Sandypaw!" she meowed happily. "Are you hurt?" Sandypaw shook her head. "No, I was just looking for Bloodpaw." Sandypaw turned to the ginger apprentice. "I was going to ask if you want to go on a border patrol, since Glaciercloud's supposed to be assembling it. You don't have to, if your paw still hurts," she added quickly as Bloodpaw got up, winced, and fell back to the ground.

Bloodpaw got up again, holding his paw above the ground. "No, no, I'm fine," he said. "I can go now, can't I, Graypaw?" Graypaw studied him. "I guess so," she said slowly. "But don't hurt yourself again!" Bloodpaw nodded and clambered out of the den with Sandypaw behind him. They quickly found Glaciercloud trying to pick cats for a patrol. "Can we go, too?" Sandypaw asked her mentor hopefully. Glaciercloud sighed and meowed, "Alright, you can come, but are you sure Bloodpaw should go? I heard Berrystream wanted him to go train."

"She did?" Bloodpaw asked in surprise. "She didn't say anything to me. Oh, well. See ya' Sandypaw!" He raced away. Sandypaw waved her tail in good-bye, then turned her attention back to her mentor, who was calling out names. "Goldenpelt, Bearfoot, Swipepaw, Fogpelt, and Snowyfeather. I think that's good. All right then, let's go!"

Glaciercloud streaked out the bramble thicket, and the rest of the patrol followed. Sandypaw hurried to keep up as her mentor led the way to the AirClan border. When they finally arrived, most of the cats were out of breath. Sandypaw looked around and saw that Goldenpelt had disappeared. She stared around wildly, then nudged Glaciercloud. "What?" said the white cat. Sandypaw quickly explained about Goldenpelt's absence, and Glaciercloud's look changed from irritated to worried. She called the other cats together. "Has anyone seen Goldenpelt? No? All right, we'll have to look for him. He could be anywhere, for all we know. Ok, I'll go with Bearfoot, Swipepaw can go with Fogpelt, and Sandypaw will go with Snowyfeather."

Sandypaw stared at her mentor. "What!?" she yowled. Glaciercloud looked at her. "What do you mean?" she asked. " You know perfectly well what I mean! Why do I have to go with-with _her_?" Sandypaw fumed. Glaciercloud looked at her calmly. "Sandypaw, there's no harm in doing this, is there?" she asked. Sandypaw was about to say "Yes, there is!" but she closed her mouth almost instantly. There was no use arguing with Glaciercloud, and she knew it.

Finally, Sandypaw nodded reluctantly, and Glaciercloud meowed, "Alright, let's go!" All the cats raced away, except for Snowyfeather and Sandypaw. Sandypaw glared at the white she-cat and tugged on her tail. "Come on, let's go!" she meowed. Snowyfeather gazed calmly at her. "Firstly, stop pulling on my tail, or we won't get anywhere."

Sandypaw glared at her but let go of the furry white tail. Snowyfeather smiled. "That's better. Now, secondly, I think I forgot to give myself a wash before I left the camp, so you'll have to wait awhile."

Sandypaw glared at her. "I won't tolerate your stupid washes, so let's go!" Snowyfeather simply smiled. "You'd better watch your tongue, Half-Clan, or I'll tell Flamefur."

"And if you lie about me, I'll tell Flamefur how you started giving yourself a wash when his father was lost somewhere!" Sandypaw growled, her fur bristling. Snowyfeather studied her. "Fine, Half-Clan, we'll go." She got up and brushed past the still fuming Sandypaw, who followed.

Sandypaw sniffed the path they had come from. She could smell Goldenpelt's scent, but it veered away sharply towards CloudClan territory. Sandypaw wondered why Goldenpelt hadn't waited for the rest of the patrol before going to the CloudClan border.

"Found anything?" Snowyfeather meowed, strolling up to Sandypaw's side. "Yes, and that's more than I can say for you!" Sandypaw snapped. "Well, well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the moss today," Snowyfeather smirked. "And that someone is a Half-Clan!"

Sandypaw glared at her, then stalked away. "I don't need her help," she said angrily. "I can find Goldenpelt on my own!" She raised her nose into the air and followed Goldenpelt's familiar scent.

She finally came to a stop near the boundary between CloudClan and FireClan, where Goldenpelt's scent was strongest. She looked around. Nothing was stirring. Then, a golden tom padded out of the bushes, looking very tired but also pleased.

"Goldenpelt!" Sandypaw yowled. She ran over to him. He stared at her, looking...afraid? Sandypaw stopped, confused. What could Goldenpelt possibly afraid of?

"How long have you been there?" Goldenpelt asked. "I just got here," Sandypaw meowed. "The others were worried sick about you, Goldenpelt! What happened?"

"Well, I was following you all, and then I saw a rabbit. I chased it all the way here, you see, and it was a very long way," Goldenpelt replied, though Sandypaw thought that he didn't quite meet her eyes when he said this. Sandypaw looked at him harder, wondering what Goldenpelt could be hiding.

Just then, Glaciercloud, Bearfoot, Swipepaw, and Fogpelt came running up. "Sandypaw!" Swipepaw gasped. "We heard you-Goldenpelt!" Swipepaw had just noticed Goldenpelt sitting beside Sandypaw. "How did you find him, Sandypaw?" He couldn't keep out the admiration in his voice. Sandypaw smiled. "I just followed his scent, of course!"

"Oh," Swipepaw mewed, looking embarassed. Glaciercloud cut in. "You look tired, Goldenpelt. Come on, we'll go back to camp."

As they began to walk away, Sandypaw asked Glaciercloud, "Did you see Snowyfeather?"

"Why, yes, she kept saying that you had left her behind. Than we sent her back to camp to tell Oakstar." Sandypaw nodded. "Yes, she was insisting on washing her paws while she was supposed to be helping me search for Goldenpelt." Glaciercloud did not respond, for they had arrived at the camp.

Flamefur rushed out of the warriors den. "You found Goldenpelt!" he cried. "Who found him?"

"Sandypaw," Glaciercloud rplied promptly, beaming at her apprentice. "She sniffed him out when no one else could." Flamefur turned to Sandypaw. "How can I ever thank you, Sandypaw?" he asked.

"Don't thank me. I wasn't the only one searching," Sandypaw said, feeling unusually happy.

Suddenly, Snowyfeather ran towards Flamefur. "Oh, Flamefur!" she cried. "I was just trying to help! But this Half-Clan didn't want me to come! She said that I was a worthless piece of fox dung! I was so insulted! And all I wanted to do was help! And then she-she-" Snowyfeather burst into sobs, her face turned towards the ground.

Sandypaw stared at Snowyfeather. That was not true! She had not said or done any of those things at all! And Sandypaw could bet that Snowyfeather's sobs were not real, just fakes.

Flamefur looked from Sandypaw to Snowyfeather. "I-I'm sure that there's an explanation for this," he meowed, staring at his mate. "Um...I need to tell Oakstar that Goldenpelt is back." He backed away from Snowyfeather, then padded into Oakstar's den.

Sparkflower, one of the queens, padded over to Sandypaw. "That's not true, is it, Sandypaw?" she asked. Sandypaw shook her head. The other silver she-cat looked relieved. "Oh, good. I should have known. Snowyfeather does hate you."

"Yeah, I know," Sandypaw meowed dryly. She watched as Sparkflower went back to the nursery, then she looked around for Snowyfeather. Finally, she spotted her.

Sandypaw watched Snowyfeather pad over to some bushes. She followed behind, determined to confront Snowyfeather. Once she stopped beside the bushes where Snowyfeather was laying down, she demanded, "Why'd you lie about me?"

Snowyfeather took her time in answering, finally meowing, "Well, I decided that I should take matters into my own paws; you didn't really need that praise. You only found Goldenpelt out of shere luck."

Sandypaw glared at her. So that was why! Snowyfeather was trying to ruin her chances of being accepted!

"Flamefur will know not to believe you!" Sandypaw growled. "Yeah, maybe he won't believe me. But who do you think the Clan's going to believe?" Snowyfeather smirked. "Me, a loyal, trustworty warrior, or a puny Half-Clan apprentice?" And she walked out of the bushes, leaving Sandypaw staring after her.

* * *

A little while after, Sandypaw walked into the den and collapsed on her nest. Amazingly, a few of the Clan cats had thought that she had not said any of those things. Flamefur, Bloodpaw, Graypaw, Goldenpelt, and her family believed her, as did her mentor and a few others. But almost all the other cats thought Snowyfeather was telling the truth, and would mutter darkly behind Sandypaw's back, getting as far away from her as possible so that she wouldn't be able to do anything to them. _As if I would,_ Sandypaw thought bitterly. Sandypaw was used to all this, yet she still felt anger towards Snowyfeather. Why had she had to lie about her? 

Bloodpaw came into the den and lay down beside Sandypaw. "Bad day, huh?" he asked. Sandypaw nodded glumly. Bloodpaw looked over at her. "Cheer up! Flamefur believes you, doesn't he? And he's the deputy!"

"What does that do?" Sandypaw asked, lifting her head. "He may believe me, but the Clan doesn't!" She put her head back down on the moss. "I ruined my chance to be accepted."

"No you didn't!" Bloodpaw said earnestly. "_Snowyfeather _did!"

"Snowyfeather!" Sandypaw spat unexpectedly. She sat up and glared at the entrance to the den. "What did I do that makes her want to ruin my life?" Bloodpaw thought for a moment. "Well, you were born a Half-Clan and-"

"I don't need reminding about my heritage!" Sandypaw hissed, turning on Bloodpaw. The ginger apprentice looked startled. "Woah, I didn't mean to hurt you or anything-" he began.

"What does Flamefur see in her?" Sandypaw cut him off. "Any cat in their right mind could tell that she's a foul, lazy, incompetent she-cat!" She stopped ranting and stared at nothing, panting. Bloodpaw stared back at her, wide-eyed. "I agree with you," he said quietly. "But you should ignore Snowyfeather...and anyone else who teases you. If I were you, I would keep trying to prove my loyalty to the Clan, no matter what anyone does."

Sandypaw turned to Bloodpaw, feeling ashamed. "You're right. I'm sorry, I don't know what got over me. It's just...Snowyfeather just really angers me, much more than twenty Ravenpaws put together."

Bloodpaw stared at her. "Wow. You two must really hate each other." Sandypaw nodded sheepishly. Then she changed the subject. "Hey, Bloodpaw, you know how Fogpelt told us that Sparkflower was pregnant."

"Yeah, that was a few moons ago. He couldn't stop bragging that they would have the most beautiful kits in the forest." Bloodpaw stood up straight and imitated Fogpelt. "My kits are the best kits in the forest-well I don't know if they are, they aren't born yet-but they'll look like me! Me! Me! Me!" Bloodpaw did a wild kind of dance and jumped about the apprentice den. "Me! Me! Me! M-oh, sorry, Fogpelt."

Sandypaw turned and almost rolled with laughter at the sight of Fogpelt's face peering out at them through the open entrance. He looked more amused than angry. But before he could say anything, Webclaw hurried over to him. "Fogpelt, the kits are coming!"

Fogpelt jumped up. "The kits? My kits?" he asked in a daze. "Yes, your kits!" Webclaw meowed. "Come on!" He hurried towards the nursery, with Fogpelt zooming after him. Sandyapw exchanged an excited look with Bloodpaw and climbed out of the den.

They met Swipepaw outside, where he asked, "What was Fogpelt running for?" Bloodpaw looked around before saying, "Sparkflower's kits are coming!"

Swipepaw's eyes widened. "Really? Great! I can't wait to see them!"

Then, a low wail sounded throughout the camp. "No! NO!!!" Everyone's heads turned to see Fogpelt staggering out of the nursery, looking as if he was about to die. "She's dead!" he cried. "Sparkflower's dead!"

* * *

**OMG! Sparkflower died! This reminds me a lot of Graystripe and Silverstream, don't you think? And doesn't everyone hate Snowyfeather? Really, she's going to be one of the main things that will make Sandypaw's mission for acceptance become harder. And does anybody know what Goldenpelt was up to near the CloudClan border? I shall not tell. If I do, it'll spoil everything. Keep checking, and review!**


	5. Chapter 3

**Here is the next chapter! I want to thank all the people who reviewed! hugs I might have rushed a bit, so pleas don't be mad. And I'm sorry that Sparkflower's dead, really, I am.**

* * *

"She's dead! Sparkflower's dead!"

Fogpelt's yowl of grief echoed throughout the silent camp. Sandypaw stared in horror from Fogpelt to the nursery. All her excitement about the birth of the new kits had vanished, to be replaced by horror and sorrow. She couldn't believe that just a few moments ago, Sparkflower had been alive and well, walking and talking. And now she was dead.

Sandypaw wanted to yowl her sorrow to StarClan. Sparkflower had been one of the first cats to take a liking towards Sandypaw, especially since Sandypaw had had to suckle from her as a kit, due to Tanfeather's lack of milk. Sandypaw looked up at the sky. _Why, StarClan?_ she thought. _Why did you have to take her now?_

Oakstar limped out of his den, looking around for the source of the distraction. Flamefur followed him, looking worried.

As Oakstar approached Fogpelt, the silver tom fell silent, though he trembled hard. "What has happened?" Oakstar asked. Fogpelt answered, "I-It's Sparkflower, she-" his voice faltered and he looked down at his paws. Flamefur whispered something in Oakstar's ear, and the leader nodded in understanding. "We shall bring her out," he meowed to the grief-stricken tom.

A few seconds later, Oakstar and Webclaw came out of the nursery, carrying a silver body. Sandypaw wanted to wail at the sight of Sparkflower's limp body. Her head lolled around as the two cats carried her to the camp clearing, but otherwise than that, she had the peace of StarClan around her. If Sandypaw hadn't known that Sparkflower was dead, she would have thought that she was sleeping.

Oakstar placed Fogpelt's mate at his paws, and said, "Do you wish to see your kits?" Fogpelt nodded. "Sandypaw will come too," he said quietly. Oakstar looked surprised. "Are you-" he began, but Fogpelt interrupted. "That's what Sparkflower would have wanted; for Sandypaw to see her kits."

Oakstar sighed. "Alright. Come here, Sandypaw. You can go with Fogpelt. Flamefur, Webclaw, you go too." He turned away and disappeared into his den. Sandypaw turned and walked towards the nuresery, Flamefur at her side. "What's wrong with Oakstar?" she whispered to Flamefur. "He's usually eager to see kits."

"Well, Oakstar's been troubled by some things lately," Flamefur answered. "I think it's about Goldenpelt." His face turned to worry. "Goldenpelt's beginning to act very strange now. Always insisting to go on patrols. I wonder why?" Sandypaw wanted to say something to comfort him, but there was no words she could say that would help.

They entered the nursery in silence. In the corner, there was a tortoiseshell she-cat sat, whom Sandypaw recognized as her sister Sorrelwing, who had recently moved into the nursery. In the middle of the den were two small silver kits, mewing pitifuly. Sandypaw felt her heart go out for these kits. They had just entered the world and already they had lost their mother.

Fogpelt walked towards his kits and sniffed them. Sandypaw was amazed when both of them opened their eyes instantly. She managed to get a look at their faces. One of them had deep blue eyes, while the other had light blue eyes, making it look remarkably like Sparkflower. Fogpelt looked surprised also. He backed away a few steps, then slowly edged forward again.

The two kits blinked up at him and mewed softly. Fogpelt sat down next to them and curled his tail around their fluffy bodies. "What are you going to name them?" Flamefur asked. Fogpelt answered quietly, "The tom is Deepkit and the she-kit is Duskkit. That's what Sp-Sp-she wished them to be."

Flamefur nodded. "We'll ask Sorrelwing to nurse them," he meowed gently. He looked warmly at the two kits, pity and sorrow in his eyes. Sandypaw saw this look and remembered what Pawflower the elder had told her about Flamefur's past.

Flamefur's father, as everyone knew, was Goldenpelt. His mother was a she-cat named Starrycloud. From what the elders said, she was a ginger she cat with small white specks that looked like stars. Starrycloud had gone to the nursery because she was pregnant with Goldenpelt's kits. But once she had given birth to her kit, she had died.

Sandypaw understood the look in Flamefur's eyes once she remembered Starrycloud. He probably pitied the kits because of the death of their mother, but seeing how their mother had died was like losing Starrycloud all over again. Sandypaw had no idea how she knew this, she just knew.

Sandypaw watched Flamefur pick up the kits and bring them over to Sorrelwing. He dropped them at her paws and asked, "Will you take them?" Sorrelwing nodded silently and pushed the kits to her belly, where they suckled happily. Flamefur backed away towards Webclaw and whispered, "How did she die?"

Webclaw looked at him sadly. "Well, the first kit came out easily enough, but the second kit took a while. Sparkflower managed to get him out, but she had used up all her strength to do it. Then she died."

Sandypaw stared at her brother. That was horrible! Who deserved this? Sandypaw looked at the two kits again, and then crawled out of the den without waiting for the others to leave.

On the way out, she met Bloodpaw and Swipepaw. "Well?" Swipepaw asked. "What happened?" Sandypaw sat down beside them and told them everything she had heard. Bloodpaw looked astonished. "She died like that? Wow. So...the kits are alright?"

"Yes, I already told you that," Sandypaw mewed, feeling slightly exasperated. "Umm...I have to go, I'm really tired." She padded away before the other two could ask anymore questions. She walked into the apprentice den and curled up in her nest. Beside her, Frailpaw and Frecklepaw moved closer towards her and looked around uncertainly. "Uhh...we-we heard what Snowyfeather said awhile ago," Frailpaw began. "Oh, yeah, right," Sandypaw said, rolling her eyes. She knew that someone was going to bring up the subject sooner or later.

"Well, we just want you to know...we don't believe her," Frecklepaw finished. Sandypaw looked up. "What?" she asked. "You said you did."

That was true. Frailpaw and Frecklepaw had believed what Snowyfeather had said about her, she had heard them say so. What had made them change their minds so quickly?

They seemed to see Sandypaw confused look, for Frailpaw explained. "Well, we saw Snowyfeather go to that bush, and then you folowed...so we went too and listened. And, well..."

"She said something about she lied or something, and that the Clan would believe her or something," Frecklepaw finished. "After that, we realized you were telling the truth. So we're sorry." Sandypaw looked at them closely. They seemed earnest. She knew they were telling the truth.

Sandypaw nodded silently and put her head down on the moss. "I forgive you," she mewed before falling asleep."

ooOOoo

Sandypaw blinked. It was hot...very hot. Sandypaw opened her eyes and leapt to her paws. "Fire!" she yowled. No one answered. Suddenly, Sandypaw realized that she was no longer in the camp.

She was in a small clearing of the forest, and a fire was raging above her. In the middle was a lake full of water. A gust of wind blew above the fire, sweeping the leaves off the ground. And in the sky were soft, puffy clouds.

Sandypaw heard a noise that sounded like a monster on a Thunderpath, and snow fell heavily to the ground. Sandypaw closed her eyes tightly so that the white flakes wouldn't get into her eyes. When she finally opened them, she saw that the snow had formed a huge mound that reached to the sky, higher even than the clouds. Then Sandypaw heard something from behind her, and she jumped out of the way.

A huge storm of sand was traveling past her, passing over everything in it's path. Sandypaw curled up on the ground and pressed her tail against her face. Finally, the noise stopped. Sandypaw looked up.

The fire, lake, wind, and clouds were still there, though they seemed to have eased down a bit. But the mound of snow was gone. Sandypaw heard a voice beside her, and she turned her head to see who it was.

Two cats were sitting there, one she recognized, one she didn't. "Sparkflower!" Sandypaw cried. she ran towards Sparkflower and pressed herself against her. The other cat, a fiery ginger tom, watched her. Sandypaw broke away from Sparkflower and turned to the strange cat. "Who are you?" she asked. The tom looked down on her. "I am Firestar," he answered. Sandypaw's eyes widened. "The legend Firestar? The great leader of one of the other great Clans?" Firestar nodded.

Sparkflower turned to Sandypaw. "We are here for a reason, Sandypaw," she meowed, her voice sounding stronger than it had used to be. Sparkflower and Firestar closed their eyes and recited, "Snow will rise and tower above fire, air, water, and clouds. But sand will wipe it away, and peace will be restored to the forest."

"Remember this Sandypaw," Sparkflower meowed. "Remember..." she and Firestar faded away, leaving Sandypaw alone. "Wait!" Sandypaw cried. "Sparkflower!"

Sandypaw opened her eyes. She looked around. She was in the apprentice den. All the other apprentices were asleep. Sandypaw closed her eyes again but found that she couldn't sleep. Sighing, Sandypaw got up and crawled out of the apprentice den.

Outside, Dewfeather and Sprucefoot were standing guard near the bramble thicket. Dewfeather gave Sandypaw a questioning look, but didn't say anything. Sandypaw nodded her thanks and padded towards the medicine den.

Webclaw was sleeping in the back of the den, where the herbs were. Graypaw, on the other paw, was wide awake, counting the herbs. "Only seven juniper berries, we'll need to get some more. We'll need more yarrow too-oh, hi Sandypaw!" Graypaw turned to Sandypaw and looked at her curiously. "What's wrong? It's the middle of the night, why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep," Sandypaw answered. "Can you fetch me some poppy seeds?" Graypaw nodded and dabbed her paw on some small black seeds. "Here you go!" she meowed cheerfully. "This should do it! Bye, now!"

Sandypaw nodded and left the den. She entered the den quietly so as not to wake the other's, but stepped on Ravenpaw's nose in the process. Ravenpaw rolled over and muttered something. Sandypaw didn't stop until she got to her nest. There, she lay down and ate her poppy seeds, then closed her eyes once more.

ooOOoo

Sandypaw placed a paw on Bloodpaw's stomach. They were in the training hollow, and had been doing fighting practice. Sandypaw had outdone Bloodpaw twice already. He pushed her off and shook himself. "Alright, let's stop now," he meowed. "Why, are you angry that I kept beating you?" Sandypaw teased. Bloodpaw shook his head. "How're Sparkflower's kits?" he asked. Sandypaw smiled. "They'rs fine," she said. It had been five moons since Sparkflower had died, and the kits were growing fast. Sandypaw had made it her duty to go to the nursery every day and play with the two kits.

Sandypaw stood up. "I've got to go, Bloodpaw. I told the kits-"

"That you would spend the day with them, I know," Bloodpaw meowed, a smile on his face. "Go ahead." Sandypaw thanked him, then raced back to the camp. As she passed, she bumped into Snowyfeather, the least of all the cats she would have wanted to bump into. "Where are you going in such a hurry, Half-Clan?" Snowyfeather sneered. "Oh, I see. You're going to the nursery. Are you expecting kits or something? Who would want a Half-Clan mate?"

Sandypaw ignored her and raced along towards the nursery, where the small silver tabby, Duskkit, was waiting. Sandypaw and Duskkit had become good friends over the last few moons, and had thought up schemes of how to scare Ravenpaw together. Sandypaw had also told Duskkit about her Half-Clan heritage, afraid that she would say something against her, but Duskkit had just reminded her that her foster mother was Sandypaw's sister and therefore Half-Clan too.

Duskkit leapt to her paws as she saw Sandypaw coming, and ran over to her. "Guess what, Sandypaw? It's almost the sixth moon! I'm gonna be an apprentice soon! I can't wait!" Sandypaw chuckled. "Yes, and you'll be the best apprentice here."

Duskkit sat down on her paws. "You told me that you were going to tell me something...about a mission. What is it?" Sandypaw stared ahead. She had been going to tell Duskkit about her mission for acceptance, which she had had to stop oweing to the fact that she wanted to spend time with the kits. But soon Duskkit and Deepkit would be apprentices, and she would have to continue to try and prove her loyalty.

Sandypaw sat down next to Duskkit. "Well, you know how I'm Half-Clan?" Duskkit nodded. "Since I'm a Half-Clan," Snadypaw continued. "Not many cats like me." Duskkit's eyes widened. "But I like you! Deepkit likes you! Umm...well, we like you!"

"Yes, but some of the others think that I won't be loyal to FireClan because of my heritage," Sandypaw meowed. "I'm trying to prove that I am loyal. Graypaw and Bloodpaw are helping me."

Duskkit stared at her, her eyes widening every second. Finally, she mewed. "I'll help too!" Sandypaw was surprised. She had definitely not expected this. "But you're still a kit," she pointed out. "_Still,_" Duskkit meowed. "I'll be an apprentice soon, I'll be able to help you then."

A meow from behind them made them turn around. Fogpelt was walking up to them, glancing behind him all the while. "Umm..Duskkit, I want you to tell Deepkit that I won't be able to come to the nursery today."

"Oh, really," Duskkit mewed dryly. "Then why are you standing near the nursery if you aren't coming here?" Fogpelt gave her a hard stare. "I'm going out on hunting patrol, with-"

"Cloverwing, Cloverwing, and did I say Cloverwing?" Duskkit mewed angrily, her fur bristling. "Really, you spend too much time with that she-cat these days!"

"That she-cat's name is Cloverwing," Fogpelt meowed. "And she's really nice too-"

"Don't go trying to replace her with our mother!" Duskkit hissed. "Cloverwhatever will never replace mother!"

"You've never even met Sparkflower!" Fogpelt spat, his fur starting to bristle to. Duskkit backed away from him. "I don't care! I'll bet she was wonderful, much better than Cloverwing could ever be!" With that, Duskkit turned and stomped through the nursery. Fogpelt shook his head. "I don't know what's got into her these days," he muttered. He turned away and padded over to a light brown she-cat with clover-colored eyes. Fogpelt said something to Cloverwing and they left.

"Are they gone?" Duskkit asked, peering out of the nursery. Sandypaw nodded, and Duskkit crawled out. "You shouldn't blame him," Sandypaw meowed. "Cloverwing helped Fogpelt get over Sparkflower's death."

"Then why does she keep acting like she's my mother?" Duskkit asked. "Oh, never mind, just drop it. I won't talk about it anymore. Anyways, I will help you, I promise. Bye, now!"

She padded back inside the nursery. Sandypaw watched her go. Then she turned around and bumped into Goldenpelt. "Hi," she mewed. It seemed that everywhere she went, she was always bumping into Goldenpelt.

Goldenpelt reurned the smile, but didn't say anything. He walked away, looking dazed. Confused, Sandypaw sat down and began to wash her paws. She thought about what to do. She looked around. Goldenpelt was padding out of camp. Ravenpaw was walking towards her...oh no.

Sandypaw turned away and closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, there would be no such thing as a Ravenpaw. But when she opened her eyes, Ravenpaw was standing in front of her, grinning. "Hi, Half-Clan. What's the matter? You not gonna say anything? Is the itty, bitty, Half-Clan afraid of me?"

Sandypaw glared at him. "No, I am not afraid of you. And you'd better get yourself out of here before you have to take the elders ticks out again." Ravenpaw winced, and Sandypaw smiled with satisfaction. The day before, Ravenpaw had tried to pick another fight with her, but this time, Flamefur had caught him at it. Ravenpaw had been in the elders den before anyone could say anything.

Ravenpaw backed away from Sandypaw, muttering darkly under his breath. Sandypaw nodded to herself and walked over to the fresh-kill pile. She picked out a vole and began to eat. She noticed that a few cats moved away from her as she did so, but Sandypaw ignored it this time. She finished her vole in a few quick gulps, then edged away from the pile.

Suddenly, Cloverwing and Fogpelt ran into the camp, pushing Goldenpelt and a ginger she-cat in front of them. Oakstar rushed out of his den and jumped on top of the HighBoulder. Flamefur followed and sat down beside him. "What's going on?" Oakstar demanded. Fogpelt stopped in front of the HighBoulder. "It's Goldenpelt! He was meeting this CloudClan she-cat near the border!" He jerked his head at the ginger she-cat.

Sandypaw suddenly understood Goldenpelt's fear when she had discovered him by the CloudClan border moons ago, and why he had always been so eager to go on patrols. He had been meeting a cat from another Clan! Sandypaw heard Witherclaw whisper, "That she-cat is Willowflower, isn't it?"

Sandypaw looked closer. She recognized the she-cat from the last Gathering. Witherclaw was right. This was Willowflower.

"Goldenpelt, have you been meeting this she-cat?" Oakstar asked. Goldenpelt nodded. "I do not deny it," he meowed. "I have been meeting Willowflower."

Oakstar looked horrified. Obviously he had expected this to be some kind of joke. Flamefur stared down at his father beside Oakstar, his back starting to bristle. "You took her as your mate?" Flamefur asked, his tail twitching. Goldenpelt hesitated. "Yes," he said finally.

Flamefur leaped down from the boulder and faced his father. "So that mean's mother was never alive, was she? You're just going to forget about her?"

"I didn't-" Goldenpelt began. "You betrayed Starrycloud!" Flamefur snarled. Sandypaw was reminded irrestibly of Duskkit as he said this.

"Starrycloud is dead," Goldenpelt said desperately. "I-"

"You still broke the warrior code!" Flamefur hissed. Sandypaw was startled. She had never seen Flamefur this angry. _He must really want his mother back,_ Sandypaw thought.

Up on the HighBoulder, Oakstar had regained his composure. "Flamefur is right, Goldenpelt," he meowed sadly. "You did break the warrior code. And because of this, you will have to pay the price." He hesitated. "You were my friend, Goldenpelt," he mewed quietly. "Why did you do this?"

"Because I love Willowflower," Goldenpelt answered. He looked worriedly at Flamefur, but the ginger tom did nothing. Oakstar sighed. "I see. Goldenpelt, because you have broken the warrior code, I sentence you a rogue. You are part of FireClan no more. And we shall tell Rockstar about this."

"Rockstar already knows," Willowflower mewed quietly, speaking for the first time since she had arrived. "I am a rogue also." Oakstar nodded. "Good." He jumped off the HighBoulder and padded to Goldenpelt's side. He gazed at him sadly. "I don't wish for you to leave FireClan, but I have no choice. Go, and do not come back." He turned away from his friend and walked up to Webclaw.

Goldenpelt stared at his retreating back. Then he looked up at Flamefur, who refused to meet his gaze. Sighing, he mewed. "Come, Willowflower. Let's go."

He turned and walked through the bramble thicket, with Willowflower following.

There was silence in the camp as everyone stared at the place where Goldenpelt and Willowflower had disappeared. Then the camp became full of whispers about Goldenpelt's betrayal. Sandypaw noticed that Flamefur was looking at the bramble thicket, the expression on his face sorrow filled. Sandypaw pitied him. With Goldenpelt gone, it must have seemed like he just lost both parents.

Sandypaw walked over to him and sat down beside him. "I'm sorry," she murmered. Flamefur shook his head. "It's all right. Goldenpelt made his decision, and I made mine." He backed away and padded into the warriors den, his tail drooping.

Sandypaw turned away, but bumped into something. Looking down, she saw Duskkit and Deepkit staring up at her, their eyes wide. "What happened?" Deepkit asked. Duskkit cuffed him over the head. "You mousebrain, you heard everything! Goldenpelt took a mate from another Clan, and he was made a rogue." Deepkit nodded, though he still looked curious.

Sandypaw walked away before Deepkit could say anything else. She noticed that Oakstar had stopped by the two kits, but she did not turn around. Instead, she padded over to Bloodpaw, who was waiting for her near the warriors den.

"Wow, can you believe that Goldenpelt's gone?" he meowed. Sandypaw did not answer. She was staring at Snowyfeather. The white she- cat was gazing straight at her, looking thoughtful. Sandypaw didn't know why, but her stare gave her the chills. What was Snowyfeather thinking?

"Hey, Sandypaw," Bloodpaw said suddenly. "Look!" Sandypaw turned and saw Duskkit racing towards her with Deepkit right behind. Duskkit stopped at Sandypaw's paws. "Oakstar told us," Duskkit panted. "We're going to be apprentices!" Sandypaw stared. "But you aren't six moons yet!" she said. "We're going to be six moons in three days! Oakstar said that we can become apprentices now!" Duskkit meowed excitedly. Sandypaw felt pleasure spread through her. Then Deepkit said something that made Sandypaw remember what she was supposed to do.

"Hey, Sandypaw? Duskkit told me that you are on some kind of mission. Can I help with it?" Sandypaw thought. If Duskkit and Deepkit were to become apprentices, she would have to continue her mission. "Yes, you can help," she meowed softly.

Oakstar's yowl rang throughout the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join under the HighBoulder for a Clan meeting!"

"That's it! We're going to become apprentices!" Duskkit meowed, jumping around. "Will you watch?" Sandypaw smiled. "Of course." Duskkit beamed. Then she raced to the HighBoulder, Deepkit yelling, "Hey, wait for me!"

Sandypaw turned to Bloodpaw. "You want to watch it?" Bloodpaw grinned. "You bet! It'll be better for the Clan than what just happened with Goldenpelt, that's for sure!"

He turned and ran towards the huge boulder. Sandypaw padded towards the front of the HighBoulder, making sure that she would be the first cat to call out Duskkit's name.

On the top of the boulder stood Oakstar. Beside him, were Duskkit and Deepkit, along with Wildfeather's apprentice, Clawpaw. "As I am sure all of you know," Oakstar began. "Goldenpelt took a mate from another Clan and was exiled."

"Does that mean we can chase him out if we see him?" Thrushpelt asked, shaking his brown fur. Oakstar nodded slowly. "But now we go on to some better news. It is time for kits to be made apprentices, and an apprentice to be a warrior." He paused. "Clawpaw, come forward."

Clawpaw stepped towards Oakstar, trembling. "Wildfeather, is it your wish that this apprentice becomes a warrior?" Oakstar asked. "It is," the brown tom answered.

Oakstar turned to Clawpaw. "I, Oakstar, leader of FireClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Clawpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Clawpaw, from this moment you will be known as Clawfur. StarClan honors your loyalty and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FireClan." Oakstar rested his muzzle on Clawfur's head. Clawfur licked his shoulder in return, and jumped down to the ground.

"Clawfur! Clawfur!" the Clan yowled, greeting the new warrior with friendly purrs. Oakstar now turned to the kits. "Cloverwing, you are ready for an apprentice. You will be mentor to Deeppaw."

Cloverwing padded up to her new apprentice. Duskkit made a face, but otherwise looked relieved. "Cloverwing," Oakstar continued, "you have shown yourself to be a warrior of loyalty and skill. Do your best to pass on these qualities to Deeppaw."

Cloverwing nodded and touched noses with her new apprentice, then went to the side of the clearing. Duskkit now stood alone on the HighBoulder, shifting excitedly from paw to paw. "Wildfeather," Oakstar went on. "now that Clawfur is a warrior, you are free to take on another apprentice. You will be mentor to Duskpaw."

Wildfeather climbed up the HighBoulder and stood beside Duskpaw. "Wildfeather, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of cunning and skill, and I'm sure you will pass on all you know to this new apprentice. Wildfeather nodded. "I will." He touched noses with Duskpaw and moved to the side.

"Duskpaw!" Sandypaw purred, moving to Duskpaw's side and licking her ear. The rest of the Clan chanted the names of the new apprentices. As Sandypaw congratulated Deeppaw, she felt Snowyfeather's eyes on her. She turned and met the white she-cat's gaze steadily. Finally, Snowyfeather turned away.

Sandypaw unsheathed her claws and sank them into the ground. She would soon have to continue trying to prove her loyalty, if not now, soon. And this time, Snowyfeather would not mess it up.

* * *

**Great! I know that Goldenpelt's exile was quick and all, but if you check it, it says he's been meeting Willowflower for FIVE MOONS. That's quite long, really. And I like Duskpaw! She's so...cute! So...does anyone want to guess what Snowyfeather's thinking? I will not tell. Even if you ask. Ok, maybe I will. So review!**


	6. Chapter 4

** Here is the next chapter! I am so happy for all the reviews that came in! A million thank yous to all of you!**

* * *

Sandypaw lay down in the apprentice den, with Duskpaw beside her. It had been four days since Duskpaw and Deeppaw had become apprentices, and Sandypaw had noticed a few things during that time. "You know, Duskpaw," she meowed aloud. "I noticed that Snowyfeather was staring at me again today."

"And she always is, isn't she?" Duskpaw meowed. "Maybe she wants to eat you." Sandypaw cuffed her over the ear. "This isn't time for jokes! You don't know Snowyfeather as much as I do."

"Oh yes, I do!" Duskpaw meowed indignantly. "She's mean to you, she's Flamefur's mate, and she hates you!"

"Ok, maybe you do know her," Sandypaw said thoughtfully. "But I just have this funny feeling..." She stared thoughtfully at the top of the den. Ever since Duskpaw's ceremony, Sandypaw had noticed Snowyfeather staring at her almost all the time. Sandypaw wished she could see in Snowyfeather's mind.

Sandypaw crawled out of the den and ran towards her mentor. "Glaciercloud," she panted. "Can I go out and check the territory? Alone?" Glaciercloud looked surprised. "Why? What is it?"

"Nothing," Sandypaw mewed quickly. "I just want to be on my own for a while, that's all." Glaciercloud at her closely. "All right, I see no harm in that. Just be careful!"

"I will!" Sandypaw called out, running through the bramble thicket. She came to a stop at a huge tree, known as the OwlPine, which harbored an old tawny owl. Sandypaw looked around and sat down on the ground. She thought about the days recent events.

Snowyfeather had been staring at her. _Again._ Why? And what about the dream she had had? What was that about? Should she tell Webclaw?

Sandypaw heard a rustle in the bushes. She turned, bristling. "Who's there?" she asked. No one answered. Sandypaw looked about nervously. A bush moved slightly. Sandypaw kept her gaze fixed on it. Her heart was thumping wildly. What was this creature?

Sandypaw saw a black shape slip in and out of view. A low growl came from behind the bush. Sandypaw shivered. "Who's there?" she asked again. A black paw emerged from the bush. Sandypaw stared as a huge black badger stomped out of the bushes. It's white-streaked muzzle was raised in the air, sniffing. It's gaze turned to her, and it roared loudly.

Sandypaw tried to move, but she was frozen to the ground. _Move, you mousebrain!_ she told herself frantically. Finally, she managed to slide away from the badger, breaking into a run. The badger roared again and followed her. Sandypaw ran faster, searching for a spot that the creature couldn't reach.

_Wait, what am I doing?!_ she suddenly thought._ Am I a FireClan apprentice or not? I shall NOT run away from a mousebrained badger!_

Sandypaw turned in the other direction and leaped on the badger. It snarled and swiped a paw at her, but she hung onto it's thick coat. It shook itself. Sandypaw fell off, but got up again and flung herself onto the badger's leg. The black animal shook his leg in the air. Sandypaw sank her claws in the badger's fur and climbed up its back. Once on top, she bit down through its skin.

The badger roared in anger and flung his paws upward, his blunt claws scraping at Sandypaw's fur. Sandypaw felt the badger shake itself. Sandypaw grasped the thick coat of fur and edged toward the creature's neck. If she could just give it the killing bite, maybe...

But before she could reach her destination, the badger's claws sank into her back. Sandypaw's grip on the badger loosened, and she was shaken off. She fell to the ground with a loud _Thump!_ Sandypaw looked up at the badger with narrowed eyes. She could feel the strength draining from her as the badger raised his paw to strike. _StarClan, help me!_ Sandypaw thought desperately before she blacked out.

* * *

Sandypaw blinked and groaned. She tried to get up, but found that she couldn't. Opening her eyes to a slit, she saw a white face peering down at her. "What happened?" she moaned. "You're alive!" someone called out. Sandypaw felt a furry body jump onto her. "Calm down, Duskpaw!" another cat meowed sternly. "You're going to choke her."

Sandypaw opened her eyes fully. She was lying down in the medicine den. Beside her were Webclaw, Duskpaw, Glaciercloud, Bloodpaw, Graypaw, and Swipepaw. Sandypaw got up from the hard ground. "What happened?" she repeated.

"You were fighting a badger!" Duskpaw meowed, her eyes wide. "You were almost killed!"

"And you would have died," Webclaw meowed, pressing cobwebs onto her back, "if Flamefur hadn't saved you."

"Flamefur?" Sandypaw asked. "Yes," Graypaw mewed. "The badger was just about to kill you, and then Flamefur came and saved you! He carrired you back to camp and brought you here! Oh, I'm so glad your alive!" she cried.

"And I thought you said you were going to be careful!" Glaciercloud meowed. "I was!" Sandypaw meowed. It was all coming back to her now. "I was just going to the OwlPine, and that badger came and..." Sandypaw stopped, not wanting to say anymore. "Now everyone leave!" Webclaw said, seeming to sense this. "Sandypaw needs some rest. Graypaw, you stay here and keep pressing the cobwebs on Sandypaw's wound. I need to go talk to Oakstar."

He left the den with everyone else. Graypaw stayed behind and wrappd the cobwebs around Sandypaw's back. "Look on the bright side, Sandypaw," Graypaw meowed. "You've proved your loyalty now!"

"No I haven't," Sandypaw mewed glumly. "The others are just going to think that I was just trying to save myself, not the Clan. Really, it's no use," Sandypaw said before Graypaw could open her mouth. "I'll probably always be treated like this. No one believes in me."

Graypaw was silent. "I believe in you," she mewed quietly. Sandypaw looked up at her. "I believe in you," Graypaw repeated. "I always have. And so does Bloodpaw, Swipepaw, Duskpaw, and your family. The only thing you need to do is believe in _yourself._ If you don't, you probably won't be able to do anything."

Sandypaw stared at her. "You're right. I'm sorry I said that. I was being foolish," she mewed slowly. "Hey, how'd you get so smart?" she asked, unable to keep the admiration out of her voice. Graypaw shrugged. "No idea. Maybe it was luck. Or maybe it's a sign that I'm going to have to change my name to Smartpaw!"

Sandypaw laughed and closed her eyes. She felt much better now. Graypaw was right. She had to believe.

* * *

After a while, Sandypaw's wound had been successfully healed. She had been right about one thing, though. Not all the Clan believed that her fighting a badger was an act of loyalty. They only thought that she had been trying to save herself. Thankfully, that didn't make the teasing any worse.

Sandypaw had just gone into the apprentice den when Oakstar called out, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join under the HighBoulder for a Clan meeting."

Sandypaw groaned. Behind her, Swipepaw meowed, "You don't have to go. Just stay here and rest."

"No, no, I'll go," Sandypaw said. Swipepaw looked ready to protest, so she added, "Really, I'm perfectly fine!" Swipepaw shrugged and didn't answer. Sandypaw took that as the 'ok' signal, and she left the den.

Outside, the whole Clan had already gathered beneath the HighBoulder. Sandypaw had to squeeze between Lightningfur and Talltooth to get to the front of the boulder.

"As you all know," Oakstar began. "Flamefur chased out a badger, with the help of one our apprentices." He gave Sandypaw a small nod. Sandypaw returned the it, ignoring the renewed mutterings around her. "We will have to be on the lookout for this badger," Oakstar meowed loudly, and the mutterings stopped. "I want the patrols to check for any signs of it on our territory. That goes for anything else that has intruded."

He turned back to the Clan. "Also, Sorrelwing has given birth to a new litter of kits." Happy murmers rose from the Clan. Oakstar called for silence. "Sorrelwing has asked me to give you their names now. They shall be known as Forestkit, Grasskit, Flowerkit, and Leopardkit." He paused so that the Clan could take in what he had said. Sandypaw noticed that Thrushpelt puffed his chest out at these words. _He must be the father,_ Sandypaw thought.

"If you wish to see the kits, you will ask permission from Flamefur," Oakstar went on. "And there will be a Gathering tomorrow night, as you all know. Flamefur will tell you if you are going or not."

"Why are we doing this a day early?" Lightningfur asked. Oakstar sighed. "I will not say," he mewed quietly, his eyes closed. The mutters rose again. When Oakstar didn't explain anything, that always meant something bad. Sandypaw looked over her shoulder at the other cats. They looked just as confused as she felt.

"Silence!" Oakstar yowled. It became quiet. "You will ask Flamefur if you're going to the Gathering. No questions." He jumped off the boulder and walked into his den. Immediately, the talking increased.

Sandypaw found Duskpaw and they padded silently over to Flamefur. Finally, Duskpaw asked, "I wonder what's wrong with Oakstar? He hasn't been acting the same since we found out that Goldenpelt was meeting a CloudClan cat."

"Well, they were best friends," Sandypaw meowed. This was true. It was known that Goldenpelt and Oakstar had been best of friends since they were kits. "It must be hard for him to know that he might not see Goldenpelt again," Sandypaw finished. "Maybe," Duskpaw said. "But that doesn't explain why he won't go to the nursery anymore. He used to love looking at the kits."

Sandypaw shrugged. She didn't know the answer to that as well as any of the others did, but it didn't really make much difference._ Did it?_

They neared Flamefur, who was surrounded by cats asking if they were going to the Gathering. Sandypaw and Duskpaw squeezed their way through the crowd and went up to Flamefur. "May we go see my sister's kits?" Sandypaw asked the ginger tom. Flamefur nodded. "And you two are going to the Gathering."

Duskpaw's eyes widened and she jumped up. "My first Gathering!" she mewed excitedly. "Great! Come on, Sandypaw! We'll go see the kits!"

She ran towards the nursery and disappeared inside. Sandypaw turned to follow her, but then remembered something. She looked back at Flamefur. "Oh, and Flamefur?" she mewed. Flamefur looked at her questioningly. "Th-thanks fo saving me from the badger," Saqndypaw said quietly. "You welcome," Flamefur meowed, then turned around to tell Ravenpaw that he wasn't going to the Gathering. Sandypaw enjoyed seeing Ravenpaw's enraged look, then padded into the nursery.

Inside, it was cool and quiet. Sandypaw heard the faint mewling of kits. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden dimness, she saw Sorrelwing laying on the ground, with four furry bodies beside her. Near them was Duskpaw, looking down on the kits with a warm look on her face.

Sandypaw edged close to Sorrelwing and mewed softly, "Congratulations, Sorrelwing." Sorrelwing nodded. "Thank you, Sandypaw." She bent her head to lick one of the kits. Duskpaw meowed suddenly, "Which ones are which?"

"You mean the names?" Sorrelwing asked. Duskpaw nodded. "Well," the tortoiseshell cat mewed. "This one is Forestkit," she licked a dark brown tabby kit. "This is Grasskit," she nuzzled a long haired brown kit. "This is Leopardkit." Sorrelwing flicked her tail at a ginger kit with black spots. "And the last one is Flowerkit," Sorrelwing finished, nodding at the golden brown tabby kit. "They're so cute," Sandypaw meowed. Sorrelwing purred in answer. Sandypaw jerked her head at Duskpaw, and the two left Sorrelwing with her kits.

Once out, Duskpaw looked over at the warriors den. "_She's_ staring at you again!" Sandypaw followed her gaze. At first, all she could see were the warriors filing into the den. But then she noticed that Snowyfeather was lagging behind, looking at Sandypaw with her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Once she noticed that Sandypaw was looking at her, she sneered and stalked into the warriors den.

Sandypaw exchanged a glance with Duskpaw and they moved over to the apprentice den. As they neared, they met up wit Bloodpaw. "Hey, Sandypaw-" he began. "What?" Sandypaw asked. "Never mind," Bloodpaw mewed, looking away. Duskpaw turned to Sandypaw. "Go in, I'll be there."

"What-?" Sandypaw meowed, but Duskpaw shooed her away. As she padded into the apprentice den, she heard Duskpaw telling Bloodpaw, "You've really got it bad, Bloodpaw."

Sandypaw sat in her nest. Got _what_ bad? Sandypaw decided not to tell Duskpaw that she had heard that piece of the conversation. She put her head down on her nest and waited for Duskpaw to come to her side. Finally, as Sandypaw heard the other apprentices come in, sleep came to her, and she closed her eyes shut and dreamed about the upcoming Gathering.

* * *

**I'm sorry it was shorter than usual! But I'm tired! And then I have school now, too. But I promise you, the next chapter won't be this short! I mean it.**

**So what's Snowyfeather thinking? Oh, I'll tell you! Something. Yes, that's it. Something. lol. And what's wrong with Oakstar? Yes, there is something wrong with Oakstar! And I hope you like the new kits! Believe me, there's going to be a lot of kits. Anyways...REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 5

**Next chapter! Yay! I love writing stories! It gives me joy! It gives me happiness! It gives me - never mind. Anyways, I love you people! **

* * *

Sandypaw padded to the medicine den. She had just decided to tell Webclaw about her dream. Webclaw would surely know what it meant. As Sandypaw approached, she heard voices. She stopped two mouselengths away from the den. Looking around quickly, she moved closer and pressed her ear against the stone.

At first, she heard nothing. Then, Flamefur's voice rang out of the den. "She-she is? That's wonderful news! But-I don't think she'll be happy if she finds out that she can't go to the Gathering."

"Whether she is happy or not, she must stay in the camp. She might hurt them," said Webclaw's voice. Sandypaw edged closer. Who wasn't going to the Gathering? Who would hurt who?

"But I want her to be happy," Flamefur protested. "Snowyfeather-"

"Snowyfeather stays here," Webclaw meowed firmly, showing that this was the end of the discussion. "Any she-cat in their right mind wouldn't go to a Gathering with kits in their belly."

Sandypaw gaped at the den. _Snowyfeather was having kits?_ Sandypaw forgot about the dream. For a heartbeat, she just stared at the den. Then she took a few steps back, turned around, and ran quickly to the apprentice den.

* * *

"She's _what!?_"

Duskpaw stared in astonishment at Sandypaw. Two of the apprentices who had been resting in the sunlight raised their heads sleepily at Duskpaw's outburst, then closed their eyes again.

Sandypaw had come back to the apprentice den after overhearing Flamefur and Webclaw's conversation, and had told her friends about Snowyfeather's pregnancy. Now she was sitting inside the den between her shocked friends.

"This is...bad!" Duskpaw meowed. "Wh - what are we going to do?"

"Nothing," Sandypaw answered for her. "We can't stop a she-cat from giving birth to kits, even if that she-cat is Snowyfeather." She looked outside. Snowyfeather was sitting near the nursery, looking very mad. "But at least she can't go to the Gathering now."

"Yeah, but that the least of our problems!" Duskpaw and Bloodpaw exclaimed at the same time, then looked at each other. "I mean, if Snowyfeather is going to have kits, then - there will be little tiny Snowyfeathers... all over the place!" Duskpaw yowled.

Sandypaw looked at them helplessly. "I'm the one who should be worried, not you guys! If Snowyfeather's kits are just like her, then -" she stopped, not wanting to keep going. This was bad. If Snowyfeather's kits hated Half-Clans too, then she would be teased double-time! And she didn't need to be teased of her heritage anymore than she was now!

Graypaw seemed to be the only one acting calm in the group. "Yes, I understand that the mother of the kits will be Snowyfeather," she meowed calmly. "But the father is also Flamefur, isn't it? And he doesn't tease you at all."

Sandypaw thought about what Graypaw had just said. She was right. Flamefur _was_ the father. There would be a good chance that the kits wouldn't be like their mother with Flamefur around. "You're right," she mewed slowly. "Oh, I'm such a nervous wreck!"

"No you're not!" Swipepaw protested. "You're just...uh...nervous!" Sandypaw glowered at him. "Isn't that the same thing?" she asked. "Anyways, you guys shouldn't worry about Snowyfeather. She doesn't bother you as much as she does to me."

"Ya' think?" Duskpaw asked. "She tells us that we shouldn't hang around with a Half-Clan. And that we're ruining the Clan's reputation. Some reputation it is, if you can't even make friends!"

"She also tells us that we're becoming Half-Clans ourselves when we're around you," Bloodpaw added, making a face. Sandypaw stared at them all. She had had no idea that Snowyfeather was doing _that_! The thought just made her angrier. These were her friends! Snowyfeather had no right to talk to them like that!

"You're right," she said again. "I'm such a fool if I didn't even notice that!" Bloodpaw looked like he was about to protest, but Graypaw silenced him. She whispered something in his ear. Bloodpaw looked reluctantly at her, but left the den. Graypaw went around to the other apprentices, and they left too. Finally, only Sandypaw and Graypaw were left in the den.

"I can tell that something is troubling you, Sandypaw," Graypaw meowed. "What is it? Is it about Snowyfeather?"

Sandypaw sighed. "Yes and no. I'm worried that if Snowyfeather does teach her kits to be mean to me, then she will have support in...well, ruining my life." Graypaw looked at her sternly. "You don't know that yet. They might be like Snowyfeather, and they might not. It all depends on how they are raised. Now, tell me about the other thing that's bothering you."

Sandypaw sighed, but didn't object. She told Graypaw about her dream, and about her seeing Sparkflower and the great leader, Firestar. After she had finished, she looked up at Graypaw, who was staring thoughtfully at her. "Well," she mewed finally. "If you saw Firestar, then the dream must have been very important. I heard Firestar only shows himself at a time of greatest need. I shall tell Webclaw about this prophecy...if it is a prophecy."

She padded out of the den after saying a good-bye to Sandypaw. As she ran back to the medicine den, Sandypaw turned her head to the nursery. Snowyfeather was still sitting there, though her gaze was now on Sandypaw. After a few heartbeats, Sandypaw felt that she couldn't take it anymore. She marched over to Snowyfeather, who turned away from her.

"Hello, Snowyfeather," Sandypaw meowed through gritted teeth, trying to sound as kind as she could muster. "I wanted to congratulate you for being pregnant."

Snowyfeather stared coldly at her. "And how do you know that? Flamefur and I haven't told anyone."

"Well, I thought it was quite obvious," Sandypaw said. "You're sitting near the nursery, you're fat, and the rest can't be explained."

"What, do you have powers or something?" Snowyfeather sneered. "Should I be afraid of you?" Sandypaw glared at her. "No, I don't, but I'll ask StarClan for some and see what you think about it." Snowyfeather unsheathed her claws. "I can hurt you, you know," she growled. "I can hurt you bad."

Sandypaw knew that she was bluffing, so she changed the subject to what had made her come over in the first place. "Why do you keep staring at me?" she demanded. "It's none of your business," the white cat answered, licking her paw. "Well, stop staring at me! It looks like you're -" Sandypaw stopped. She had been about to say, "it looks like you're plotting to ruin my life again", but she decided not to. Snowyfeather noticed the pause and smirked. "I shall stare at you as long as I wish, Half-Clan! After all, you aren't a warrior!"

"I will be someday!" Sandypaw growled. "Someday is a long time, though," Snowyfeather hissed mockingly. Sandypaw had the sudden urge to swipe her across the nose, but resisted it. She wasn't going to make herself look bad again.

Snowyfeather looked like she was about to say something else, but a yowl from the bramble thicket interrupted her, and a patrol burst out 0of the bushes. Snowyfeather gave Sandypaw a last glare before strutting away.

Sandypaw padded to the HighBoulder and sat down. On top of the rock was Oakstar. "Well?" he asked. One of the cats from the patrol, Sprucefoot, yowled, "CloudClan have been hunting on our territory...again!" Many of the cats gasped and yolwed in anger. Oakstar stood up. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "We found prey bones on our territory," Sprucefoot reported. "They had CloudClan stench all over it! Rockstar must have sent them!" The cats yowled again.

"No," meowed a voice. A light brown she-cat moved her way to the HighBoulder and met Oakstar's gaze steadily. "Yes?" Oakstar asked clamly, as though the she was an apprentice asking to go train.

"No," the she-cat meowed again. "Rockstar wouldn't do that."

"Just because he's you _father_, Tanfeather, doesn't mean you have to be loyal to him!" Willowheart yowled, putting emphasis on the word father. Sandypaw felt her claws slide out. If anyone _dared _talk to her mother like that...

Tanfeather glanced at him, but didn't answer. Instead, she turned back to Oakstar. "Last time CloudClan stole prey from us, Rockstar didn't know about it. It had all been Pinefoot's doing. It might be happening again."

Oakstar looked like he was considering this. "That is a possibillity," he meowed finally. "But you cannot defend your father all the time."

"I'm not," Tanfeather persisted. "I just don't want an innocent cat to be blamed for something he didn't do. If Rockstar did order his warriors onto our territory, then I would fight against him to help my Clan. But if his warriors were doing something without his knowledge..." she paused as a few cats nodded their heads in agreement. That had been what happened last time. The CloudClan deputy, Pinefoot, had stolen prey from FireClan without requesting orders from Rockstar. Somehow, Rockstar had forgiven him, and the trouble had stopped. But if Pinefoot was stealing prey again without telling Rockstar, then...

"You should say something about this at the Gathering," Tanfeather continued. "Ask Rockstar about it." She stopped and waited for Oakstar's answer. Oakstar sighed and meowed, "I don't think I'm going to the Gathering."

There was an instant uproar at these words, and the cats hurled questions at the leader.

"Why aren't you going?"

"You have to go!"

"The other Clans will think we are weak!"

"What would we say?"

Oakstar looked at his Clan helplessly. Flamefur jumped up next to him and mewed something to him. Oakstar nodded and yowled for silence. "I have changed my mind," he announced. "I shall go to the Gathering."

The cats settled down immediately, but as they did so, Oakstar lay down on his stomach, looking tired. Flamefur glanced at him with worry in his eyes, then meowed, "This meeting is at an end!"

The Clan separated, and Sandypaw trotted over to her mother. "Do you really think Rockstar has nothing to do with this?" she asked. Tanfeather sighed and looked up at the sky, where the first stars were just beginning to appear. "I don't know. I really don't know."

* * *

Sandypaw sat inside the nursery and watched Sorrelwing's kits. She peeked outside. The full moon was already out. It would 0nly be a matter of time before they left to the Gathering.

Sandypaw watched as Flowerkit jumped over her mother and landed on Forestkit. The brown kit squealed and tried to shake her off. Flowerkit's fur fluffed out and she hissed softly. Sorrelwing gently picked Flowerkit up by the scruff and placed her near her belly, where the kit immediately began to suckle. Forestkit waddled over and fell asleep, snoring, his rump in the air.

Sandypaw giggled and smiled at Sorrelwing. Then she heard Oakstar's yowl. "Bye, Sorrelwing," she meowed, climbing out of the den. "Goodbye, Sandypaw. And good luck with CloudClan!" Sorrelwing answered, a glint in her eyes. Sandypaw waved her tail and walked to the bramble thicket.

All the cats that were going to the Gathering were sitting there, waiting for Oakstar's command to move out. Sandypaw spotted Duskpaw sitting next to Berrystream. She hurried over and was surprised to find her grinning. "What?" she asked. Duskpaw flicked her tail. "You know how Ravenpaw hates collecting cobwebs?"

Sandypaw shrugged. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well, I think we'll be finding out exactly why he hates those webs. Watch," Duskpaw meowed, then shifted to the side so Sandypaw could get a better look.

At first, all she could see was the apprentice den. Then she heard a loud cry. Ravenpaw jumped out of the apprentices den, something furry on top of his head. "Spider!" he yowled. "There was a spider on my nest! Someone get it off!" He shook his head. The furry thing, which Sandypaw took to be the spider, jumped on his tail.

"Ahhhh! Get it off!" Ravenpaw moaned. He jumped around and shook his rump frantically.

Sandypaw burst into laughter. "He's afraid of _spiders_!?" she asked through a fit of giggles. "Yeah!" Duskpaw laughed. "The mighty hero is afraid of the very small spider! We adore him!" She and Sandypaw laughed harder. Some of the other cats were laughing with them, and Sandypaw saw Bloodpaw imitating the black tom by waddling around while shaking his head and back. Sandypaw had to close her mouth tightly so that she would stop laughing.

Ravenpaw had finally gotten the spider off him and was now standing in the middle of the clearing, looking very embarrased. Flamefur looked out of the leader's den. "What's all the commotion about?" he asked Sandypaw, who was nearest to him. Sandypaw could hardly get the answer out through her laughter. "Ravenpaw's afraid of spiders!" she burst out finally.

"Very small ones!" Duskpaw added. "Oh, really?" Flamefur asked, looking amused. Then he meowed, "You two had better go over to bramble thicket. Oakstar's about to leave." Sandypaw and Duskpaw nodded, still giggling slightly.

They padded over to the entrance, where Oakstar was looking at his Clan. "Everyone here?" he called. "Right, then. Let's go!"

They ran through the brambles, some of them still talking about Ravenpaw. Sandypaw could still remember his terrified look. She gave a small laugh, then jumped over the log that had been looming quickly towards her.

As she passed through the trees, she saw Flamefur coming to a stop at the front of the group. Oakstar stared at him. "You go on ahead; I'll be right there," Flamefur meowed. Oakstar nodded and went onward.

Flamefur motioned for Sandypaw to come to him. Confused, Sandypaw followed him under a tall oak tree. She sat down. What did Flamefur want with her?

"Webclaw told me that you had a dream," Flamefur meowed. Sandypaw nodded silently, relaxing a bit. "Well," Flamefur continued. "He has already recieved it."

"Oh," Sandypaw meowed, trying not to sound surprised. Flamefur turned around. "Funny that StarClan sent an apprentice the dream, though. Normally, they would have told Oakstar."

Sandypaw nodded again. She had been thinking about that for a while. Why _had_ StarClan chosen to send the dream to her? After all, she was just an apprentice, not a Clan leader or a medicine cat.

"If you have the dream again, you can tell me," Flamefur said, interrupting her thoughts. "I have a hunch of what part of the dream might mean...but maybe not. Anyways, we'd better get back to the Clan. I need to be there."

He turned. "Coming?" he asked. Sandypaw nodded and followed Flamefur towards the Gathering place, known as FourClaws. They arrived at the familiar spot in which there were four massive stones shaped like claws, pointing outwards to defend the Gathering spot from enimies. Sandypaw and Flamefur squeezed through the stones and were met by the meows from cats of all the Clans.

Sandypaw looked at the Gathering spot. The four leaders were already there, standing on the branches of the Great Tree. Sandypaw spotted Duskpaw talking to a bright red tom with a white tipped tail, whom she recognized as the WaterClan apprentice, Foxpaw. She padded over. "Hi, Duskpaw," she meowed brightly. "Foxpaw." She nodded at the red tom. "I - uh - I was...uh...just -" Foxpaw stammered, staring at Sandypaw. Then he backed away and melted into the crowd of cats. Sandypaw laughed.

"Better watch out, Duskpaw! Foxpaw's known to have an eye for pretty she-cats!"

"I'm pretty?" Duskpaw asked in mock surprise. She stared at herself. "I never noticed!" They laughed. "But honestly, Sandypaw, it should be you that has to watch out," Duskpaw meowed seriously. "You saw the way he stammered at you; he was mesmerized!"

"By my beauty?" Sandypaw joked. "Yes," Duskpaw meowed matter-of-factly. "And you don't want to have a forbidden love."

"Who said I liked him?" Sandypaw asked. "He likes almost everyone! It won't really matter." She paused as a CloudClan apprentice, Applepaw, passed by her. "Hi, Applepaw!" she meowed brightly. Applepaw smiled. "Sandypaw," she said. "How are things in FireClan?"

"Well, they're all right, I guess, if you count out the fact that I was almost killed by a badger!" Sandypaw meowed, then pretended to choke herself. Applepaw gasped. "Killed? You were killed?"

"If I was killed, then why am I still here?" Sandypaw asked. "Or else I'm a spirit of StarClan and I didn't notice?" Applepaw waved her feathery tail in embarrassment. "Sorry," she apoligized. "I got carried away."

"Applepaw!" someone called out. The three apprentices turned and saw a light brown she-cat with sandy colored paws stalking towards them. "I believe you've met my sister, Petalpaw?" Applepaw whispered. "I haven't," Duskpaw said, her eyes round with wonder. "I certainly have," Sandypaw meowed, shaking her head. This wasn't going to be good.

"Applepaw!" Petalpaw repeated angrily. "What are you doing with these FireClanners? You should be with CloudClan!"

"They're my friends!" Applepaw meowed angrily. "And do I give a care?" Petalpaw hissed. "They aren't CloudClan!"

"Sandypaw is!" Applepaw meowed. "Well, she's half, but that still counts!"

"She's from FireClan! She may be half, but she never came from CloudClan!" Petalpaw hissed.

"She is Rockstar's granddaughter!" Applepaw growled, her tail twitching. "And you can't tell me what to do! I'm perfectly fine by myself!"

"Fine!" Petalpaw meowed. "Stay with them! I don't give a care!" She marched over to the CloudClanners, glaring at her sister from afar.

"I'm sorry," Applepaw mewed. "She's usually very kind, except-"

"She hates FireClanners, we know," Sandypaw meowed. This experience had not been new to her. In fact, this had already happened a few times. "Well, I guess you'd better get back to your Clan, before Petalpaw has another explosion."

"Yeah, I guess," Applepaw admitted, glancing at her sister. "I'll see you another time, Sandypaw."

As she left, Duskpaw gave the she-cat an admiring glance "Well, she knows how to take care of herself, that's for sure!" she mewed. Sandypaw nodded silently. Then she and Duskpaw walked to the front of the Great Tree, where they found a few empty spots. Sandypaw noticed Dewfeather talking to a CloudClan cat, but she tore her gaze away quickly and looked away. She saw two toms from AirClan and WaterClan staring at her open mouthed. She saw that one of them was Foxpaw. The other was a black AirClan warrior with brown stripes. She didn't know who he was, but it annoyed her to see them staring at her. A yowl from one of the leaders gave her the perfect excuse to look away.

Sandypaw looked up at the Great Tree and had a closer look at the leaders. She saw that one of them was the AirClan deputy, Patchfur. She wondered why Patchfur was standing there. Where was the AirClan leader?

As though the other leaders had the same thought, Shellstar asked Patchfur, "Where is Lilystar?" Patchfur turned sad eyes upon her. "She's dead," he meowed simply. The AirClan cats bowed their heads as the others yowled in shock and grief. "How did it happen?" Oakstar asked. "She had an attack," Patchfur meowed. A few cats gasped. "Who attacked her?" someone called out.

"No one attacked Lilystar." The AirClan medicine cat, Feverclaw, stepped forward and faced the leaders, his white fur waving in the breeze and his green eyes filled with nothing but calmness. "It was an attack from the heart," he continued. "It happened suddenly, and not even I could help her. StarClan decided that she was to join their ranks, and I can't argue with StarClan," he added to the mutters from the other cats.

Patchfur meowed finally, "I have gained my nine lives and name from StarClan, and am now the AirClan leader." The other leaders nodded. "We see," Rockstar meowed. "You may go first, Patchstar."

Patchstar nodded and meowed strongly, "You all know about Lilystar's death, and how I am now the leader. I also warn the other Clans of a fox we found on our territory. We chased it out, but it might be anywhere."

"We shall keep watch," Oakstar said. Patchstar dipped his head and sat down on his branch. Shellstar stood up. "We have a new warrior. Rushingpaw will now be known as Rushingstream."

A long haired silver she-cat raised her head and gazed at the other cats proudly. Shellstar continued. "My warriors have noticed that the Twolegs are building their nests closer to our territory."

"And what does that have to do with us?" the CloudClan deputy, Pinefoot, asked. Shellstar glowered at him. "I am warning you not to go to close to them. They might take you to who knows where. Surely you knew that Pinefoot," she meowed calmly, looking down upon Pinefoot. The deputy hissed, but did not do anything else.

Oakstar sat straight up. "One of our apprentices, Clawpaw, has been, made into a warrior. He will be known as Clawfur. Clawfur did not come to the Gathering though," he added, as the cats on the ground looked around for the new warrior. "But we do have something else to say."

Oakstar gave Rockstar a hard stare. "My warriors were on patrol and found some prey bones, which were covered completely with the scent of CloudClan. What have you to say, Rockstar?"

"I do not know anything about this," Rockstar meowed. Sandypaw couldn't help but admire her grandfather for being so calm. "If my warriors have been on your territory, then I will make sure they don't go there again."

Oakstar looked like he was considering this. "But why would CloudClan be on our territory?" he demanded. "Wouldn't they need a leader's permission for that?"

"Please," Rockstar meowed, looking unhappy. "I did not tell my warriors to go on your territory. What could I gain by doing that?"

"Prey!" Oakstar growled. "But I didn't do it last time, why would I do it now?" Rockstar asked. He turned to his deputy, a suspicious glint in his eye. "Pinefoot, do you know anything about this?" he growled. Pinefoot grinned so that only Rockstar could see. "No, I don't," he said convincingly. "I would not do anything without consulting my leader. Last time I stole prey, I was being foolish. Now I know better. But there is a chance that Rockstar didn't tell me about what was in his mind, and just carried on without asking for my opinion."

"There!" Oakstar snarled. "Proof!"

"It is only my deputy's word!" Rockstar hissed, looking angry. "He is not trustworthy, believe me!"

"Then why did you choose him to be deputy?" Oakstar demanded. "Because I-" Rockstar began, but Pinefoot stood up from the ground and interrupted. "I noticed that yesterday Rockstar was telling one of our warriors something. Then our warrior headed to FireClan territory. When he came back, he had prey in his mouth."

"That isn't true!" Rockstar growled at his deputy. Pinefoot smiled and lay down. Oakstar snarled something to Rockstar, and the CloudClan leader responded by hissing angrily, "No, I did not do it! I swear by StarClan, I did not do it! My warriors may have, but I did not order them to do it!"

Oakstar just snarled deeply. Sandypaw watched in horror as he leaped onto Rockstar. The two leaders tumbled to the ground, a fighting ball of fur. "Oakstar's gone mad!" Duskpaw gasped. Sandypaw had no choice but to agree with her. Their leader was certainly acting crazy. He was normally calm and quiet, not like this.

Over on the other side, the CloudClan cats were glaring at FireClan, hissing, their claws unsheathed. A few of them began to fight. Suddenly, Webclaw called out, "Look! The moon!"

Everyone except the two fighting leaders looked up. Dark clouds were covering the moon, so that the light disappeared from view. The CloudClan cats backed away, still snarling. "StarClan does not wish for this!" the CloudClan medicine cat, Darkfoot, yowled.

Shellstar jumped down from the Great Tree and made to pull the two leaders apart. "This - Gathering - is over," she meowed through gritted teeth, finally managing to separate the leaders. Oakstar glared at Rockstar, then, panting, raced out of FourClaws. The FireClan cats exchanged confused glances, but decided to follow.

Sandypaw and Duskpaw raced through the trees, side by side. "Well, that was the most exciting Gathering I've ever been to," Duskpaw panted. "The _only_ Gathering you've ever been to," Sandypaw corrected. She was worried by Oakstar's behavior. Would he do the same thing to his cats if he got the chance?

"Flamefur!" Sandypaw called out. The dark ginger tom stopped running and looked at the apprentice. "What?"

"I have to ask you something," Sandypaw replied. Flamefur sighed, but stayed behind with Sandypaw. "Why was Oakstar acting like that today?" she meowed. "Is there something wrong with him?"

Flamefur sighed. "I guess I can't keep it from you any longer, can I?" Sandypaw shook her head. "Yes, there is something wrong with him," Flamefur continued. "He is weak. He hasn't told me, but I think he is on his last life."

"He didn't seem so weak," Sandypaw told him, the image of Oakstar and Rockstar fighting still stuck in her head. "Nerves," Flamefur meowed quietly. "Webclaw has been feeding him poppy seeds. It has been helping, but only a little. That's why he doesn't visit the nursery anymore. He's afraid he might do something bad to the kits." He hesitated. "Webclaw told me that if this gets worse, he might die."

Sandypaw gaped at him. "He couldn't!" she squeaked. "What would happen to the Clan?"

"I would have to become leader," Flamefur mewed. There was no pride or triumph in his voice, only sadness. "Please, don't tell anyone about this," he begged. "I don't want the Clan to worry."

"I won't," Sandypaw meowed. She looked up at the stars, twinkling brightly as if to encourage her. "I promise."

* * *

**Whew! I finished this chapter! Great! So, do you think Oakstar's going to die? If he does, that will be just...just...sad! cries And Snowyfeather is still thinking! What could she possibly be thinking! And she's having kits! That's bad! I think. Well, we'll find out. In the meantime, review!**


	8. Chapter 6

**Woop! New chapter! Yay! I am so happy! And I hope you are too! I don't really have much to say, so... I hope you like the chapter!**

* * *

Sandypaw padded silently into the camp, after Flamefur. She felt exhausted, and all she wanted to do was curl up in her nest and go to sleep. But everyone were still worrying about Oakstar's behavior at the Gathering, and she was curious to know of what they thought. 

Duskpaw and Bloodpaw were the first ones to see her. They ran over to her side, both of them panting. "So what did you ask Flamefur?" Duskpaw asked. Sandypaw shook her head. She wasn't going to tell them, even though they were her friends. She had promised Flamefur she wasn't going to tell anybody, and she always kept her promises.

Duskpaw saw this and nodded slowly. "I see. You can't tell us. Well, that's all right, we didn't really want to know."

"But we did -" Bloodpaw began, but Duskpaw gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs. "I mean - uh...what she said!" Bloodpaw meowed uncertainly. Sandypaw gave a small smile, but a yowl from the HighBoulder made her look up. She wasn't surprised to see Flamefur standing there, but many of the other's were. "What are you doing, Flamefur?" Lightningfur called out, alarm in his voice. Flamefur looked down at him and the others.

"Don't worry, Oakstar isn't dead yet. I'm still the deputy." The cats let out relieved sighs. Flamefur continued. "Oakstar is resting right now. I know that what he did at the Gathering was surprising, but we all know that Oakstar will do anything to protect his Clan, even if he overdoes it sometimes." The Clan nodded. Though Sandypaw knew that this wasn't exactly true, she didn't say anything.

"Because of what happened at FourClaws," Flamefur meowed. "Oakstar needs to rest for a few days. I shall take charge during that time. Lightningfur, you will help me." Lightningfur nodded. "Witherclaw, I want you to lead a hunting patrol through our territory. We have to stock up the fresh-kill. Rosecloud will take a border patrol out after the meeting. And tomorrow, Bearfoot will lead the dawn patrol." The two chosen cats nodded eagerly.

Sandypaw was surprised at how easily he said all this, though the ginger tom gave no sign that he was enjoying this taste of leadership. Flamefur called the meeting to an end. Witherclaw and Rosecloud called out the cats they wanted on their patrol, then padded out of the camp.

Sandypaw watched Flamefur walk into Oakstar's den, then come out again. Sandypaw padded over to him and sat down. "How is he?" she asked quietly.

"Not good," Flamefur meowed, shaking his head. "He had no idea what just happened or who I was. Webclaw's treating him. Hopefully he'll get his memory back soon," he added, glancing at the night sky. Sandypaw immediately changed the subject.

"You spoke wonderfully up there," she commented.

"It's what I had to do." Flamefur answered. "The Clan shouldn't worry about anything right now. I had to take charge." Sandypaw blinked slowly. "You're a natural born leader, you know that?" she mewed softly, saying what was on her mind. Flamefur looked at her.

"That's what Oakstar used to say," he sighed. "And why he picked me to be deputy. He said I had a talent for handling the Clan." He paused. "Sandypaw, I need to ask you a favor."

"Of course," Sandypaw meowed, looking at him in surprise. "I don't have to do it now, though, do I?" she added, looking at the dark sky. Flamefur shook his head. "No. But I would like you to do it anytime you have the chance."

"All right. What is it?" Sandypaw asked, suddenly feeling up for the challenge.

"Good," Flamefur said. "You know where the OwlPine is, of course?" Sandypaw nodded. "Well," Flamefur continued, "there is a small Twoleg nest near it. I think it's called a farm. Anyways, I need you to go to that farm."

"Huh?" Sandypaw mewed. "A Twoleg nest? Are you sure it's safe?"

"Perfectly," Flamefur meowed. "The Twolegs won't bother you, I'm sure of it. But it isn't the Twolegs you need. There are two cats living there. Their names are Rose and Night. I need you to find them and tell them that I asked them to come to the camp."

"Why?" Sandypaw asked.

"I can't tell you that," Flamefur whispered. "But this is really important!"

"But why do you want me? Why not somebody else?" Sandypaw meowed.

Flamefur sighed. "I don't know," he said desperately. "But will you do it?"

Sandypaw thought hard. She would be helping a friend if she did this. And if it was that important, then maybe...

"All right," she mewed, turning around. "I'll do it." Flamefur breathed a sigh of relief. "Great! Follow the Twoleg path, and you'll see the farm. Also, keep in mind that there is a dog guarding an area of the farm. You'll have to be careful around it."

Sandypaw nodded. "I'll do it soon, Flamefur." Flamefur flicked his tail and walked away. Sandypaw walked into the apprentice den. She heard four other apprentices, Tabbypaw, Blazepaw, Silverpaw, and Brackenpaw, conversing together, hunched up in a group near the corner. At first, Sandypaw ignored them. The she caught the words 'fox' and 'badger'. She looked around to make sure no one was watching, and moved closer to hear.

"We were out on patrol near the OwlPine just awhile ago," Brackenpaw meowed. "And then a fox the size of a badger came out of a hole in the tree . Lightningfur and Witherclaw attacked it and almost got killed, but I saved them."

"With my help!" Silverpaw pouted.

"Yes, with your help," Brackenpaw said. "Anyways, I helped in the fight... with you too, Silverpaw!" he meowed, looking annoyed, as Silverpaw opened his mouth to speak. "So we all fought, and we almost won. And we would have, too, if that fox hadn't been the size of a monster."

"But you said it was the size of a badger - " Silverpaw objected. Brackenpaw glowered at him. "It's the same thing!" he yowled.

"No it isn't!" Silverpaw insisted. "A monster is huge, and a badger is huge too... just a little less than huge, and monsters can be huger than huge, or smaller than huge, or - "

While Silverpaw continued talking, Tabbypaw and Blazepaw snorted with laughter, while Brackenpaw scowled. "Silverpaw!" he yelled. Silverpaw stopped. "What?"

Brackenpaw shook his head. "Just... stop talking, ok?" Silverpaw shrugged and became quiet. Brackenpaw settled back down.

"Now, we didn't get the fox, but after a while, it retreated into it's den. It didn't come out again, but it's still there. The reason why I'm telling you this, is because you don't want to fall into it's claws."

"Or paws," Silverpaw added. Brackenpaw rolled his eyes and turned around. "Come on, let's go to sleep. Anything it takes to stop _you _from talking." He pointed his tail at Silverpaw.

"Huh?" Silverpaw questioned, looking around. "Who're you talking to? 'Cause I don't see anyone." Brackenpaw growled softly, but otherwise ignored the silver tom. Silverpaw shrugged uncertainly and he and the others went to sleep.

Sandypaw fell onto her nest and looked at the four sleeping toms. A fox at the OwlPine! Sandypaw's eyes widened as realization hit her. If there was a fox at the OwlPine, that would make her journey to see Rose and Night harder, since Flamefur had told her that she needed to pass the OwlPine to get to their farm.

Sandypaw sat quietly on her nest, a battle going on in her mind.

_I survived from that badger attck, so why should I be worried? _she thought.

_But you had help then, from Flamefur, _a voice inside her reminded her.

_But it's important!_ Sandypaw insisted.

_Wait until the fox is gone,_ the voice suggested.

_But that will be a long time from now!_ Sandypaw thought. _If this mission is that important, it won't be able to wait!_

_Then don't do it! _the voice insisted.

Sandypaw slapped her paw against her forehead. She had promised Flamefur she was going to do this, and she didn't break her promises. _I will do it, _she thought determinedly. _I'll do it tomorrow._

Sandypaw snuggled up on her moss bed and went to sleep.

* * *

A fire raged above Sandypaw. There were no clouds, wind, or water. Only the fire. A chill blew past Sandypaw. A whirlwind of snow appeared from nowhere and dropped onto the fire, where it sizzled for a moment, and then went out. Sandypaw watched as the mound of snow grew taller and taller. But as it went reached the sky, a sandstorm whirled it's way towards them. Sandypaw felt her fur blow up as the sand passed by her. It thrusted it's way into the snow. Instantly, the snow disappeared.

Sandypaw heard pawsteps behind her and saw a ginger she-cat and tom padding over to her. One was Firestar. But who was the other?

"Where's Sparkflower?" Sandypaw asked nervously.

"She cannot come every time," Firestar meowed. "She has things to see. But you may know who this is." He flicked his tail at the ginger she-cat. Sandypaw stared at her, confused. She had never seen this cat before. What was Firestar talking about?

"Look closer," Firestar urged. Sandypaw squinted her eyes at the she-cat. Her ginger fur was flecked with small white specks, shimmering like the stars. Sandypaw gasped.

"You're - " she meowed, but didn't finish. The she-cat nodded. "Yes, young one. I am Starrycloud."

Sandypaw gaped at her. She had no idea what to say. She was staring at Flamefur's dead mother, a cat she had never before expected to see.

Sandypaw mewed, "Flamefur misses you."

Starrycloud looked saddened. "I know. I watch over him day and night. But he should learn to forget about the past, and stay in the present."

"He - he was mad at Goldenpelt, for - for taking another mate," Sandypaw said, suddenly desperate for answers. Starrycloud answered her question before she could say the rest. "I trust Goldenpelt to make the right choice. I want him to be happy in the forest, not grieving over my death. I am grateful to Willowflower for helping him get over my death." She stopped and bowed her head.

Sandypaw asked, "What - what am I dreaming about? Is it the prophecy?"

Firestar and Starrycloud looked at each other. "Partly," Firestar said simply. Sandypaw wanted to ask something, but Starrycloud interrupted. "Sandypaw, do not tell of this dream to anyone. We must go now."

As they started to fade, Firestar meowed, "Remember, snow can cover fire."

Sandypaw woke with a start. The sun was seeping through a crack near the top of the den. Sandypaw stretched out and walked outside.

In the clearing, she found Duskpaw and Bloodpaw curled up on the ground. Sandypaw prodded them, and they raised their heads. "What?" Duskpaw asked, blinking.

"I'm leaving," Sandypaw meowed.

"Leaving!?" Bloodpaw meowed, scrambling to his paws and giving Sandypaw a startled look. "Not to CloudClan?"

"No!" Sandypaw almost shouted, but managed to control her voice. "I just have to go somewhere. It's important."

"Well, we'll come with you!" Bloodpaw meowed. Sandypaw shook her head. "This is something I have to do alone."

"What is it?" Duskpaw asked. "I can't say," Sandypaw said.

"All right. Well, be careful," Bloodpaw meowed earnestly, licking her on the top of her head. Sandypaw pulled away and stared at him in wonder. What was he trying to do?

She saw Duskpaw shoot Bloodpaw a disgusted glance, then pad away. Bloodpaw lingered for a moment, but then followed the silver tabby. Sandypaw shook her head and looked around for Flamefur. Spotting him near a patch of grass, she trotted over to him and mewed quietly, "I'm going."

Flamefur looked up. "Where?"

"To talk to Rose and Night," Sandypaw answered. Flamefur's confused look changed to gratefulness. "Thank you, Sandypaw." Sandypaw smiled. "You're welcome."

She turned and padded to the bramble thicket, but a white she-cat blocked her. Sandypaw rolled her eyes. Snowyfeather.

"Where're you going, Half-Clan?" Snowyfeather sneered. "I you finally taking my advice and going back to CloudClan?" Sandypaw glared at her. "No. I belong here. And I can go anywhere I please. Or else you became deputy and I didn't notice?"

Snowyfeather looked like he was about to snap back a retort, but Flamefur rushed in. "Let her go. I told her to go out. Unless you wanted her to do something else, Snowyfeather?"

Snowyfeather shook her head. "No, I - I've got enough to do right now, with the kits coming and all." She pointed at her belly, which was growing fatter every day. She twined her tail with his and cooed, "And if you say anything, I would never, ever disobey!" Sandypaw rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right!" she muttered under her breath.

Then she noticed that Flamefur was flicking his tail at her. Sandypaw knew he was signaling her to leave, so she quietly slid out of the bramble thicket. Once out of the camp, she headed straight for the OwlPine.

As she neared the old tree, Sandypaw looked around cautiously before padding slowly forward. She noticed that the hole in the trunk of the tree smelled strongly of fox. Sandypaw wrinkled her nose and made a face. She was about to move onward, when a deep growl froze her in her tracks. Slowly, she turned her head. The strong smell of fox greeted her.

Behind her, a huge fox towered above her, it's teeth bared and it's long claws glistening. Sandypaw stared up at the fox and gulped. Brackenpaw hadn't been lying. It was huge! As big as a badger! Sandypaw took a step backwards. Slowly and carefully, she started to edge away from the fox. A twig snapped. The fox snarled and leaped towards her. Sandypaw jumped aside just in time, then ran as fast as her legs would carry her. The fox growled and followed, it's bushy tail pointing straight up in the air.

Sandypaw looked around for somewhere the fox couldn't get her. She felt the fox's breath on her paws. It was catching up! Sandypaw gritted her teeth and took longer strides, but the fox kept up the pace. After a while, Sandypaw felt she that she couldn't go on anymore. But she had to keep going! Her life was at stake! But the fox seemed to sense she was getting weak, and leaped onto her back. Sandypaw emitted a startled hiss and swiped her paws at the fox, her claws scraping at it's belly. But the fox did not react to this. His nose twitched into a grin.

"Is the itty bitty kitty cat scared?" he taunted. Sandypaw stopped trying to fight back and stared at it. "You talk cat?" she asked. The red animal sneered. "Of course! What did you expect? Rabbit talk?"

Sandypaw started to struggle again. "Let - me - go!" she yowled. To her surprise, the red fox let her go. She stood, confused, for a few heartbeats. Then, just as she had turned around, she felt the fox's weight land on her again. She hissed and swiped her claws at him, but the fox just laughed.

"You actually thought I was going to let you go!?" The fox yipped in laughter. "Think again, kitty cat!" Sandypaw looked helplessly at the red animal. If she tried to escape, he would probably catch her. If she tried to hurt him, he wouldn't respond. Sandypaw thought quickly. If she couldn't fight to get away, she would have to use her wits.

She said the first thing that came to her mind. "You're ugly." The fox froze and stared at her. Sandypaw felt satisfaction in knowing she had gotten his attention. It was common knowledge that fox's prized their pelts.

"What?" the fox snarled, but his voice was filled with worry. "I'm ugly?"

"Yes, you're ugly," Sandypaw meowed calmly. The fox looked at himself. "I can't be ugly," he muttered. "I wash my coat every day!"

"Maybe you didn't wash well enough," Sandypaw suggested. "Go ahead!"

"Ok," the fox said nervously. He licked his red pelt thouroughly. "The tail too," Sandypaw urged. The red fox licked his bushy tail down to the pointy tip. Sandypaw added confidently, "Now lick the back. Once you do that, you'll be as handsome as any fox."

He nodded like an obedient kit, and tried to twist his head around to reach his back. As quick as lightning, Sandypaw wriggled out of his grip and ran as fast as she could go, leaping over a small stream and a few logs. She finally stopped, panting, and looked around. The fox was nowhere to be seen.

Sandypaw smiled triumphantly. "Foxes are so stupid!" she meowed to herself. She padded onwards, following the Twoleg path Flamefur had described. She saw the tip of a blue something above the treetops. She ran quickly to the spot where she had seen it and looked around.

There, on the hillside, was a Twoleg nest. _The farm! _Sandypaw thought happily. She began to walk towards the nest. But as she neared it, a loud bark startled her. She turned around swiftly to see a huge dog bounding towards her. Sandypaw remembered Flamefur's warning about a dog and streaked away. The dog barked once and followed right behind.

Sandypaw looked back. The dog snarled and tried to snap at her tail. Sandypaw quickly tucked her ginger tail underneath her before the dog could bite it. Suddenly, a voice called out to her, "Hey! Over here!" Sandypaw leaped away from a tree so that the dog would bump into it, then looked up.

In the tree were two cats, one black as night and the other a shade of light brown. Sandypaw climbed up the tree and sat down beside the two cats, her chest heaving. Beneath them, the dog growled and snarled, circling the tree. Sandypaw looked up at the two cats. "Are we safe?"

"Quite," said the brown she-cat. Then she stopped and looked down on the ground. Sandypaw followed her gaze. The dog had jumped onto the tree and was slowly climbing it. "I thought you said we were safe!" Sandypaw said. The brown she-cat looked nervous. "Uh...oops?" she mewed.

"We didn't know the dog could climb trees," the black tom meowed. "What'd you do, try to teach it climbing lessons?" Sandypaw yowled sarcastically. The brown she-cat opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it at the look the black cat gave her.

Meanwhile, the dog was edging closer towards them. The black tom hissed and jumped onto the dog's nose. "What are you doing!?" the she-cat yowled. The tom didn't answer, but scored his claws over the dog's face. The brown creature howled in pain, then turned on the black cat. He growled viciosly and ripped at the tom's back. The black cat stood on the branch for a moment. Then his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell onto the ground.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" the she-cat yowled. She stared at the black body. Then, hissing, she leaped onto the dog and began to claw at his sides. The dog frantically tried to shake her off, but her grief was her strength. She bit into his paws, grasping one of them tightly around her teeth. The brown dog raised his paws above the tree, and immediately fell onto the ground. He shook his head, and, whimpering, he ran away, his tail tucked between his legs.

The brown she-cat dropped onto the ground and ran to the black tom. "No. No. No." she murmered, licking his black pelt. Sandypaw scrambled down the tree and looked at the two cats. Then she noticed the black tom's eyes open to a slit, then close. "He's alive!" she mewed.

The she-cat blinked in confusion. "He is?" She looked down on the black cat. He opened his eyes and moaned, "Did the dog go?"

"You're alive!" the brown cat yowled happily. She jumped on top of him. "Hey! I'm choking!" the tom meowed. The she-cat got off him just as he chuckled, "Just joking."

Sandypaw stepped forward. "You - you saved my life. Both of you. How can I ever thank you?"

"Nah, don't thank us," the black tom meowed. "We make it our duty to help all animals that stray into the dog's path. It was normal." He gave her a curious look. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Sandypaw," she meowed quickly. "What are yours?"

"Well, I'm Night and this is Rose," the tom meowed, pulling the she-cat towards him. "We live here, on this farm."

Sandypaw stared at them. She had done it! She had found them! But before she could say anything, Night meowed, "Come into the barn. You must be exausted."

Sandypaw nodded thankfully and followed them into the Twoleg nest. Inside, she lay down on the ground. "Can you catch your own food?" Rose meowed uncertainly. "Yes, I can, thank you," Sandypaw answered. She stood up and sniffed. The scent of a mouse reached her nostrils. She pinpointed where the smell was coming from, then pounced on a smile pile of hay. She came back up with a very plump mouse in her jaws. Rose looked at her. "Sandypaw..." she meowed thoughtfully. "Are you one of the Clan cats?"

Sandypaw nodded. "Do you know Flamefur?" Night asked. Sandypaw nodded faster. "He's the deputy of my Clan."

Rose placed a paw on her chest. "Deputy?" she asked. "But the last time we saw him, he was still a warrior!"

"Well, he's deputy now," Sandypaw meowed. "He's the reason why I came here. He told me to tell you that he sent for you."

"Why couldn't he tell us himself?" Night asked in confusion. Sandypaw shrugged. "He was probably busy."

"Well, we'll go right away," Rose said, but Night shook his head. "We can't, remember? We've got to stay here and do..." He stopped, but Rose seemed to understand. She nodded. "Right. I forgot. Well," she meowed, turning to Sandypaw. "you'll have to go back if you're all well. Tell Flamefur that we'll come...oh, say, tomorrow."

"But - " Sandypaw began, but Night interrupted her. "I heard that there's a fox near the OwlPine. If you don't want to meet up with him, then you can take a shortcut back to your territory. Go pass by the place near the AirClan border... you know, at Falling Cliffs."

"I know," Sandypaw answered. "But - "

"Rose will escort you out," Night meowed. Sandypaw sighed. There was no use trying to talk to them. She followed Rose outside and walked along behind her. Finally, Rose stopped at the Twoleg path. "Well, I'll leave you here. I'll see you soon." She turned around.

"Wait," Sandypaw meowed suddenly. Rose stopped and looked back. "Yes?"

"What is it that you and Night are doing?" Sandypaw asked. Rose looked around nervously. "Well, if you must know," she mewed. She whispered, "Night saw a few cats near the farm. They were strange looking cats, and they were discussing something. Night and I went to get a better look, but the cats attacked us. And when they left, they said something strange."

"What was it?" Sandypaw asked, her interest arousing.

"They said, 'don't tell anyone of the plan. If you do, it will fail, and we won't be able to get what she offered us.' " Rose recited this as though she had remembered it word for word.

"Do you know what it means?" Sandypaw urged.

"No, we don't," Rose meowed, her voice rising high with worry. "We followed their scent trail into the..." She trailed off.

"Into the what?" Sandypaw asked, smelling fear scent coming off Rose.

Rose looked around nervously before whispering, "Into the Forest of Darkness!"

Sandypaw gasped. Not many cats went into the Forest of Darkness. It was a place feared by all the Clans, a place where even the bravest warriors were afraid to place even a paw within it. It was rumored that the cats who did go into the Forest of Darkness, never came back.

"So... so what are you going to do?" Sandypaw asked quietly. Rose glanced around.

"Night suggested that we follow them into the forest. I not sure if it's such a good idea, but if those cats aren't planning anything good then..." Her voice faltered. For a few heartbeats, they were silent. Then Rose spoke again.

"Please, Sandypaw," she begged. "Don't tell anyone that I told you this. They might make a big deal out of it, or - or go crazy or something."

"I won't," Sandypaw promised, meaning what she said. "Good," Rose meowed, straightening up. "Well, I'll see you another time." She waved her tail in good-bye, then ran back to the barn.

Sandypaw sat down. She wanted to think this out. What were those cats doing here? What were they planning? And what in the world were they doing in the Forest of Darkness?

Sandypaw stood up. She wouldn't tell a soul about this, not even if Flamefur asked her. She cast a worried glance at the farm. If those cats were planning something bad, then... then FireClan could be in danger. Maybe the other Clans too.

Sandypaw turned aroumd and padded to the place where the AirClan border was. She had no idea what those cats were doing there, or what they were planning, but if they caused trouble for FireClan, she knew that she would fight to the death to defend her Clan, whatever tried to get in her way.

* * *

**All right! This is one of my favorite chapters! Does anyone know what Flamefur wants from Rose and Night? Or what those strange cats Rose was talking about were doing in the forest? I'm just BURSTING to tell you, but... I can't. (cries) But if you review lots and lots, maybe I'll give you a hint...or not.**


	9. Chapter 7

**I am so happy right now! I bought Firestar's Quest and finished it in two days! It was so interesting! I loved it! **

**Also, I found a cat in my yard. She's a tortoiseshell with white paws, and I'm not sure what to name her. I want to give her a warrior name, you see. If you have any ideas, please tell me!**

**That's it for now. Enjoy. **

* * *

Sandypaw walked slowly near the AirClan border. Part of her wasn't paying attention to where she was going. She was still thinking about what Rose had told her. She was convinced that those cats were up to no good. 

Sandypaw felt something sharp sink into her pad, and she winced in pain. Looking underneath her paw, she saw that she had trod on a thorn. Sandypaw hissed. She gripped the thorn with her teeth and tried to pull. But the thorn had sunken in deeply. Sandypaw felt the pain throbbing in her ginger paw, and she looked around for something to help ease the pain.

That was when Sandypaw noticed that she wasn't in FireClan territory anymore. She was standing in a wide open moor, where the grass was waving in the breeze. There wasn't much cover in this area, as the moor didn't have much trees. A few rabbits raced across the grass, while tiny birds settled near a small pool. Sandypaw gulped. She had crossed the border into AirClan territory.

But before she could turn and run back into the forest, a yowl sounded from behind her. Sandypaw froze and turned around. Three shapes were racing towards her, getting closer in every heartbeat. All of Sandypaw's instincts were yowling at her to run away to the FireClan side of the territory, but shhe knew it wouldn't be any use. The cats had already spotted her, and they would still catch her. She stood where she was, gazing helplessly at the forest.

In a few heartbeats, the three AirClan cats stopped right beside her, panting. One of them was the AirClan deputy, Meadowstream, her sea colored eyes blazing with angry fire. The other was the warrior Flyfur, his gray coat bristling as he neared Sandypaw. The other was his apprentice, Hillpaw, who bared his teeth in an angry snarl as they approached.

Meadowstream spoke first. "What are you doing on our territory?" she snarled.

"Yeah, do you have any business here?" Flyfur hissed, letting his claws slide out. Hillpaw nodded viciously, his silver fur fluffing out. He swiped a paw at Sandypaw, who dodged his blow just before his claws met her face. "That'll teach you not to come on our territory!" Hillpaw growled.

Sandypaw thought quickly. She would have to make up an excuse for going past the border. She skimmed through her mind, finally coming up with something.

"I came here as fast as I could!" she panted. "I was sent to warn you!"

Meadowstream looked at her suspiciously. "What for?"

"It's the Blinding and Falling illness!" Sandypaw blurted. "It's become terrible! Almost unbearable!"

Flyfur looked at her curiously, all signs of aggresion gone. "What's that supposed to be?"

Sandypaw stared at them, her mouth hanging open slightly. "You don't know what the Blinding and Falling illness is?" The three cats shook their heads.

Sandypaw sat down on the ground. "I'll have to tell you about it then. All right. The Blinding and Falling illness is about the most dangerous kind of sickness that you can catch."

The AirClan cats looked at each other nervously. "Why?" Hillpaw squeaked.

"Well, one of warriors went into a patch of daisies and then came back to camp. After a while, he started shouting that he coldn't see. Our medicine cat, Webclaw, tried to cure him, but he had become blind. And when the warrior tried to talk, he couldn't. Webclaw looked into his mouth and..."

"And what?" Meadowstream asked nervously.

"And...found out that the warrior's tongue had fallen off," Sandypaw exclaimed. The three cats gasped. Hillpaw whimpered and placed his head under his paws. Meadowstream stared at Sandypaw, her mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out. Sandypaw continued on as though she hadn't noticed any of this.

"We tried to understand him, but everything he said made no sense. Though we did know he was asking for herbs because that was what he told us before his tongue fell out. Our medicine cat apprentice, Graypaw, brought him some mousebile. Because he was blind, he ate the mousebile and - " Sandypaw stopped, noticing the look on the AirClan cats faces. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Flyfur glancing nervously at a patch of daisies.

"So I came to warn you about it," Sandypaw went on. "We don't want you to catch it too."

Meadowstream nodded. "Thank you. We wouldn't want to get that thing either. We shall inform Patchstar about this." She dipped her head politely, though her body was tense. Then the deputy raised her head and padded away. Flyfur and Hillpaw followed. Sandypaw heard Flyfur say, "I'm never going to walk in a patch of daisies again."

"I feel sorry for that warrior," Hillpaw wailed, as though he hadn't heard his mentor. "Imagine, eating mousebile!"

As they walked away, Sandypaw slipped quietly back into her own territory. She sat down near the border and watched as the AirClan cats pale figures disappeared over the moorland. Once they were gone, Sandypaw burst out laughing.

"I can't believe they fell for that!" she meowed to herself after she had finally stopped laughing. "Thank you, StarClan!" She shook her head and padded beside the border, this time being careful not to go on the other side.

After a while, she stopped to try and get something to eat. Spotting small rabbit nibbling on the grass, Sandypaw dropped low to the ground and started to edge toward it. The rabbit seemed to sense something was wrong and raised it's pink nose in the air, but Sandypaw moved faster. She pounced on it before it could run away. Thanking StarClan, she tucked her paws underneath her and began to eat.

A noise made her look up from her fresh-kill. Sandypaw turned her head at a slight movement from the bushes. She squinted her eyes and tried to see if there was anyone there. Sandypaw didn't see anything, and decided that she had been imagining things. Shrugging off the feeling of unease, she swallowed the rest of her meal and stood up. Glancing at the sky, Sandypaw was surprised to see that the sun was starting to set. She hadn't realized how much time had passed by. After making her dirt in a nearby bush, she padded onward, aware that she was just a few pawsteps away from AirClan territory.

Finally, she reached the place called Falling Cliffs. Sandypaw took a few steps back before looking at the cliff. The elders had told tales about this place. From what they said, this was the place where Lizardstar, the second FireClan leader had died.

Sandypaw felt curiosity rising in her. This was the first time she had been here alone. She had always come with her mentor or a whole patrol. They had never let her take a good look at the cliffs. Finally, after hesitating a bit, she stepped forward to look down.

Suddenly, Sandypaw heard her stomach rumble. She closed her eyes. The small rabbit she had eaten suddenly felt like moons ago. Sandypaw looked woefully at the cliffs, then padded away to find something to eat. She soon caught a vole and a thrush. Settling down on the soft ground, she tore the meat of the vole, feeling satisfied as the warm blood gushed into her mouth.

After she had finished eating her fresh-kill, Sandypaw turned to leave, but then stopped. Her curiosity about Fallng Cliffs was overwhelming her. _I'll just take a quick look, _she thought. _Then I'll go back to camp._

Padding forward again cautiously, Sandypaw looked down. Her eyes widened. She could not see a bottom to the cliffs. It seemed to go on and on and on, never stopping. Sandypaw kicked a pebble with her paw accidentally. It rolled down the cliff and fell through the steep side. Sandypaw waited to hear the pebble hit the bottom. The pebble disappeared through the mist, but there was no sound. Sandypaw shivered.

"Glaciercloud was right," she meowed, her voice rising with fear. "A cat could die here. I'd better leave."

She had hardly taken a step back when Sandypaw felt something push her down. Startled and afraid, Sandypaw tried to regain her footing, but it was too late. She rolled over down the steep side and started to fall.

Then, she noticed a piece of rock jutting out from underneath the top of Falling Cliffs, where a root was sticking out, waving slightly in the breeze. Reacting as fast as she could, Sandypaw twisted her head around and grabbed the root in her mouth. Gripping it tightly, she tried to haul herself up on the piece of ground. Sandypaw gritted her teeth and scrabbled her hind legs against the cliff, hearing the small rocks fall down into the deep side. If only she could get up to the edge, then she could get away from here!

Suddenly, Sandypaw felt the rock crumble under her paws. She let her grip on the root go, and froze as she saw that the rock she was trying to pull herself onto was cracking and groaning. Looking up, Sandypaw did the only thing she could do. She leaped upwards, right before the entire piece of rock crumbled off the cliff completely and fell into nothingness.

Sandypaw sank her claws tightly into the ground and forced herself not to look down. She tried to pull herself up, but her hind legs wouldn't support her. Sandypaw dangled over the edge, fear sweeping over her like an icy claw. What would she do now? She couldn't hang over a cliff all day! And what if she fell down...

Sandypaw's thoughts were broken as she felt a fierce pain in her flank. She gritted her teeth together, but did not look downwards. Again she tried to pull herself onto the top, but she was becoming tired of hanging over these rocks.

A rock suddenly tumbled down the cliff toward her and hit her left paw. Sandypaw winced. She felt a bit of ground crumble underneath her other paw. Once this had happened, she was unable to keep both paws on solid ground. With one front paw hanging limply at her side and another clawing the hard rock, she tried once more to pull herself up, but the strength was draining out of her.

Sandypaw raised her head and yowled, "Help! Somebody, help me!" There was no answer. Sandypaw called out again. Nothing. Her remaining paw was starting to slip... She was going to die... And she hadn't even said good-bye properly...

Then, Sandypaw felt strong paws grasp her tightly. She looked up and saw a familiar face looking into hers.

"Flamefur!" she breathed.

The dark ginger tom gripped her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her back onto the top of the cliff. Sandypaw collapsed on the ground, relieved that she was safe and that all paws were touching the ground again. Once she had caught her breath, she looked up at Flamefur.

"Someone pushed me!" she gasped. "I was standing over Falling Cliffs and someone pushed me!"

She tried to calm herself. As she did so, Flamefur meowed, "I heard someone calling for help. So I came here and found you dangling over the edge of Falling Cliffs. Who pushed you, anyway?"

"I don't know," Sandypaw mewed. "I never got to look at their face. But I know someone pushed me, I just know it. I didn't fall in there on purpose."

She became silent. Then she looked up at Flamefur with gratitude in her eyes. "You saved my life... again. How can I ever thank you?"

Flamefur shrugged. "There's no need to thank me." Then his eyes drifted to her side. "You're hurt!"

Sandypaw looked down. A stream of blood was pouring out of her flank. Sickened by the sight, Sandypaw sank to the ground. Flamefur looked at her worriedly, then raced to an oak tree that was close by. He came back holding a wad of cobwebs in his mouth.

"I know I'm not a medicine cat, but this might help," he meowed, pressing the sticky web onto her wound. Sandypaw winced again, but she felt a little better. She stood up again quickly. The ground started to whirl under her paws, and she dropped back to the ground, retching.

"We have to bring you to the camp," Flamefur said. "Webclaw will look after you there."

"I'm sure he will." Sandypaw smiled weakly.

Flamefur padded past the trees, then stopped. "Can you make it to the camp yourself?" he asked. Sandypaw nodded and stood up more slowly. Then, limping a bit, she followed Flamefur into the forest.

Thoughts were whirling around her head. Who had pushed her? And why had they pushed her?

Sandypaw looked up at Flamefur, who was padding on in front of her. The sunlight shone on his back, making it burst into flame. Immediately, a strange feeling washed over her. She felt so unusually happy and lightheaded, and there was something else she couldn't place. But... what?

Sandypaw walked behind Flamefur at a slow pace, her eyes fixed on his turned back. No matter what she tried to do, her eyes seemed glued to that place only. Sandypaw shook her head and blinked. Why was she staring at Flamefur? He was her friend, yes, but that was no reason to stare!

"I hope I'm not going crazy," she muttered quietly, so that Flamefur could not hear. "The sooner I get back to camp the better."

* * *

Sandypaw limped heavily into the camp, with Flamefur following slowly behind her. A trickle of blood was leaking out of Sandypaw's wound, and she felt a wince of pain as her flank brushed against one of the bramble bushes. 

A silver shape appeared out of nowhere and raced to the entrance, tail streaming out behind, and Sandypaw realized it was Duskpaw. The she-cat approached them with an air of happiness.

"Hi, Sandypaw!" she meowed brightly. "Hello Flamefur! Guess what Sandypaw? I caught a - " Duskpaw suddenly noticed the wound in Sandypaw's flank, and her jaw dropped open in horror.

" Sandypaw! What - ? "

"It's a long story," Sandypaw meowed quickly. Then her eyes widened and she squeezed herself behind Flamefur's back just as her mother, father, and mentor came out of the warriors den and padded over to Flamefur.

"Where's Sandypaw?" Talltooth and Tanfeather both asked together.

"Yes. We haven't seen her all day," Glaciercloud added. Despite her calm tone of voice, Sandypaw knew she was just as worried as her parents.

"Sandypaw's fine," Flamefur answered. The three worried cats breathed sighs of relief. "Good," Talltooth meowed. "But... where is she?"

"Well, she's right - " Flamefur broke off as he looked behind his back. "She's not there."

"What do you mean she isn't there?" Tanfeather growled. "Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Flamefur meowed.

"What do you mean _you don't know!?_ Where's my kit?" Her back bristled with fury and she tore at the grass with her claws. "You didn't leave her _alone _did you? What if it started to rain, and her pelt got wet? What if she climbs a tree, loses her tail, and falls? What if she fell off Falling Cliffs?"

"Well, about Falling Cliffs - " Flamefur began, but Tanfeather interrupted him. "For all I know, she could be in CloudClan territory with that awful deputy breathing up her neck! What if he did something to her? He does have a certain reputation for doing that thing, doesn't he?"

Talltooth sighed and meowed, "Tanfeather, I don't think Pinefoot would do that. Isn't your father the leader?"

"But what if Rockstar isn't there?" Tanfeather said worriedly. "He might be tempted to do it! After all, he certainly tried to do it to me!" She gave a hysterical laugh. Talltooth looked calm, but his neck fur was bristling. "He _what!?_ He did it to you!"

"Well, he certainly tried, didn't he?" Tanfeather hissed. "He didn't get a chance, but he was close!"

"Why...!" Talltooth snarled. Then his fur flattened up again and he looked over at Flamefur. "Don't worry. She gets like this every time something happened to the kits."

"And that's how Witherclaw got his ragged ear, then?" Flamefur asked, nodding to himself.

Suddenly Tanfeather burst out, "Are you going to stand there gossiping all day, or are you going to help me find my kit?"

"Y - yes," Talltooth said nervously, jerking his head at Flamefur.

Meanwhile, Duskpaw was sniffing at the area near the bramble thicket. "Sandypaw?" she whispered. "Come on! I know you're there!"

Sandypaw poked her head out of the bushes. "What?" she said irritably.

"Why are you hiding from you're parents? They're starting to act like crazy kittypets! Well, you're mom is, anyway..." Duskpaw trailed off.

Sandypaw shook her head. "I don't want them to see me like this," she meowed quietly, glancing at her frustrated-looking parents. "If they spot that gash in my flank, they'll ask me where I got it from, and I'll have to tell them that I almost fell down Falling Cliffs, and - "

"What?" Duskpaw meowed in surprise. "You really _did _fall off Falling Cliffs? You mean Tanfeather wasn't lying?"

"Tanfeather doesn't know anything about it," Sandypaw said. "And I wouldn't have fallen if that thing hadn't pushed me!"

"Pushed you?" Duskpaw asked in astonishment.

Sandypaw sighed and quickly changed the subject. "What is this thing that Tanfeather was talking about? You know, about Pinefoot."

Duskpaw's eyes narrowed in concentration. "Mother - I mean, Sorrelwing, used to tell us that Pinefoot was an evil cat and that - "

"What's the point?" Sandypaw interrupted, surprised at how bad tempered she sounded. Duskpaw seemed surprised to, but she did not say anything about it.

"She means that Pinefoot is one of those Ilovetomate cats," she answered.

"What's a Ilove - What?" Sandypaw mewed. "I have no idea what you said!"

"Me neither." Duskpaw shrugged. "I'll repeat it. He's an Ilovetomate cat. It means he loves to mate, obviously."

"A - oh." A spark of understanding had lit up inside Sandypaw. "I see. Well, I didn't have any problems with that."

"But you can't tell me that you didn't have problems." Duskpaw nodded at her gash. Sandypaw smiled sheepishly, then sighed.

"Well, I might as well go back out there. It won't really make any difference. I lived, didn't I?"

"That's the spirit!" Duskpaw meowed, giving Sandypaw a nudge. The two walked out of the darkness and back into the camp.

"I'm back!" Sandypaw meowed cheerfully.

"Sandypaw!" Tanfeather raced to her daughter and began licking her furiously. Sandypaw squirmed free of her grip.

"Mother, I'm not a kit anymore!" she complained. Tanfeather smiled sincerely. "I'm sorry. I - I just thought you might have died!" Then her eyes slid to Sandypaw's wound. "What happened?"

"We'll tell you after a while," Flamefur cut in before Sandypaw could answer. "Right now, we need to..."

Sandypaw didn't hear the rest of Flamefur's sentence. She had suddenly become dizzy. For a moment, she stared ahead of her, her mind whirling. Then her eyes rolled back and she fell onto the ground. The last thing she heard was someone yowl out, "Sandypaw!" before her world was gone.

* * *

Sandypaw opened her eyes and groaned. She asked, "Duskpaw, what happened? Duskpaw?" She stood up and blinked in astonishment. She was sitting in the middle of FourClaws, staring at the huge stones that protected the area from enemies. She stared around in wonder. 

"How did I get here?" she meowed aloud.

As Sandypaw thought, a cool breeze blew up from behind her, making her fur wave back and forth. Sandypaw turned and gasped. Cats were coming down from the sky. They ran through the clouds as though they were walking on the ground, and they landed on the ground with a soft thud as they landed. Their fur was full of stars, and they were glowing with a bright light.

"StarClan?" Sandypaw whispered as the cats settled down before her. Her eyes widened. "I'm not dead, am I?" she asked hurriedly.

"No, young one, you are not dead," purred a voice. A ginger tom padded forth, his fur burning like fire. Sandypaw dipped her head. "Firestar." She looked back up again. "What is it StarClan want of me? Have I done something wrong?"

"No." A silver she-cat went to stand beside Firestar.

"Sparkflower!" Sandypaw purred. Another familiar cat walked to the other two, her light green eyes surveying Sandypaw calmly. "Hello, Starrycloud," Sandypaw greeted.

Firestar meowed, "Do you know what just happened?" Sandypaw searched her mind. "I almost fell off Falling Cliffs," she answered.

"And do you know why?" Firestar continued.

"Someone pushed me," Sandypaw meowed, feeling anger burn through her. Apparently Firestar sensed this, for he said, "Someone wants to see you."

Sandypaw blinked. "Who?"

Firestar stepped aside and another cat took his place. He was a light ginger tom with a dark brown tail. He nodded at Sandypaw. "Hello, Sandypaw. You must know me?"

Sandypaw shook her head. "I don't understand - "

"I am Twigtail," the tom meowed. "You must remember me."

Sandypaw sat up straight, startled. "You're Tanfeather's brother, aren't you?" she meowed. "She told us."

Twigtail nodded. "Naturally." He leaned in close to her. "Something is coming, Sandypaw," he whispered. "Something that could bring all four Clans to their doom."

Sandypaw stared at him blankly. "But what is it?"

"And that's the fun part, isn't it?" Twigtail meowed cheerfully.

"Twigtail!" yowled out someone.

A brown tabby tom with dark black stripes padded up to Twigtail, who immediately bent down low. The brown tabby glared at the Twigtail.

"This is no time for jokes, Twigtail!" he growled. "This threat is worse than a tick in you're ear!"

"All right, all right!" Twigtail apologized, standing up again. "I'm sorry, Sparrowstar."

Sandypaw swiveled around to face the commanding brown tabby. "Sparrowstar? But isn't that - ?"

"Yes, I am Sparrowstar, first leader of FireClan," Sparrowstar meowed quickly, dipping his head curtly. Sandypaw just stared at him. How many more surprises were there?

"Like I said," Sparrowstar continued, speaking more to Twigtail than Sandypaw. "This isn't something that kits do to entertain themselves. This could change the forest. Forever."

Firestar took a step forward so that he stood between Sandypaw and Sparrowstar. "That's right," he meowed, his gaze focused on Sparrowstar. " It could change the forest."

He turned to Sandypaw. "Everything will be clear soon," he whispered. "You may go now. StarClan is with you."

Sandypaw nodded thankfully and turned to leave, then remembered where she was. "How do I get back?" she called out, but no one answered. She twisted her head around, and saw that the StarClan cats were gone. Sandypaw blinked and opened her eyes. She was now back in the camp, lying in the medicine den. Groaning, she lifted herself up and sat up on the mossy nest that was placed underneath her.

The first thing she saw was Graypaw. "How do you feel?" the silver she-cat asked when she saw Sandypaw's eyes upon her.

"Better," Sandypaw answered. But as she tried to stand up, the ground swirled around her, and she fell back onto the moss with a thump.

"Steady there!" Graypaw meowed in alarm, leaping to her paws. Sandypaw gave her a weak smile. "Don't worry about me, Graypaw. I'll just rest for awhile."

And before Graypaw could say anything, she had fallen back asleep.

* * *

Sandypaw woke to the sound of cheering. Feeling much better now, she limped out of the den and sat down. Shrubpaw, Blazepaw, Brackenpaw, Frecklepaw, and Furrypaw were just leaping down off the HighBoulder. Sandypaw spotted Duskpaw running to her, and jumped out of the way before the she-cat could bowl her over. 

"Sandypaw!" Duskpaw yowled happily. "You're ok!"

"Of course I'm ok," Sandypaw meowed, twisting her head around to give her back a lick. She looked around. "What's going on?"

"Oh, Oakstar gave them their warrior names," Duskpaw meowed, flicking her tail at the other four. "They're now known as Shrubfoot, Blazefur, Brackenfang, Frecklecloud, and Furryfall." Her tail drooped. "I wish we could be warriors too."

"We will," Sandypaw said, more confidently than she felt. She walked over to her brother, who was surrounded by cats murmering congratulations. Furryfall noticed her and padded to her side.

"Well," Sandypaw mewed. "Congratulations on becoming a warrior." Furryfall seemed to notice the look of longing in her eyes, for he gave her ear a lick. "You'll be a warrior soon."

"Maybe," she muttered. Furryfall's eyes strayed to her side, and his gentle expression became fierce. "If I find out who did that to you, I swear by StarClan that I'll tear them to pieces!"

Sandypaw laughed. "I don't think you should just yet," she said, flicking her tail affectionately. "Thanks anyway."

Furryfall nodded. "Anytime."

Sandypaw turned and limped back to Duskpaw, but something stopped her. She rolled her eyes and groaned silenly. Ravenpaw.

"Is it true?" the black tom asked. "You fell off Falling Cliffs?"

Sandypaw nodded slowly. Ravenpaw sneered. "Well, well. You really are a clumsy oaf."

Sandypaw bristled. "Someone pushed me!" she hissed.

"Oh, really?" Ravenpaw smirked. "Who was it? I'd like to give them flowers."

"Really, Ravenpaw," Duskpaw meowed, coming to stand beside Sandypaw. "Don't you have someone's tail to bite off?"

Ravenpaw snarled under his breath. "Maybe. Maybe not. Why would I tell you anything? You're just the friend of a HalfClan."

Duskpaw unsheathed her claws and moved towards the black tom, but Sandypaw stopped her. "Really, he's not worth it," she said, shaking her head. Duskpaw reluctantly sheathed her claws again and followed Sandypaw away from Ravenpaw, who yowled out, "You scared!? Come back and fight me! Or are you cowards?"

Once they were well away from him, Duskpaw growled, "You should have let me ripped him. It would have given me great joy!"

Sandypaw sighed. "There are other things to worry about than him. Snowyfeather, for instance."

Duskpaw made a face. "So you're still going on about her, eh?" Noticing the look on Sandypaw's face, she continued, "I don't blame you for hating her, but... well, you _know _that what she says isn't true. So don't let it bother you."

Sandypaw stared at her. "You're becoming as smart as Graypaw," she meowed. "Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to be at peace around her until hedgehogs learned to fly!"

"You're right." Duskpaw shrugged. "It was an idea, after all. By the way..." Duskpaw glanced around. "I passed by your brother."

"Which one?" Sandypaw asked wearily.

"Webclaw," Duskpaw answered. "He told me Snowyfeather's kits are going to be due in a few days."

Sandypaw rolled her eyes. "Great. Just what we need," she said sarcastically. "I'm sure I'll be pleased to have some more cats tease me."

"You don't know that." Duskpaw pointed out the obvious. "If they tease you, blame Snowyfeather, not them. She'll be the one who taught them to do it, won't she?"

Sandypaw saw the truth in her friend's words and nodded. "Right." She spotted movement near the leader's den, and a flash of dark ginger fur. Excusing herself from Duskpaw's side, she padded over to the cave under the HighBoulder, spotting Flamefur sitting down at the mouth of Oakstar's den.

"May I sit down?' she asked. Flamefur nodded absent-mindedly. Sandypaw sat down next to him and looked down at her paws before asking, "Is he ok?"

Seeing the look on Flamefur's face told her all she needed to know. Flamefur shook his head. "I think he lost a life," he mewed quietly.

"What?" Sandypaw gasped. Flamefur nodded. "Yes. He only has one life left now. I think even he realizes the danger he's in." He sighed. "If he leaves... I don't know what I'll do."

He talked as though no one else was there. Sandypaw could only look at him helplessly. Oakstar had been Flamefur's mentor, everyone knew that. Sandypaw could sense how Flamefur felt. She would have felt the same way if her mentor was going to die.

Flamefur stood up. "Well, good day, Sandypaw." A weak smile flickered across his face. "Don't meet a badger or anything out there. I've saved your life enough."

Sandypaw laughed. "Don't worry. I'll be extra careful."

As Flamefur brushed past her, Sandypaw had that feeling again. She felt happy and lightheaded. And now she finally recocnized what the other feeling was. It was something she felt with her family and her friends and everyone that was close to her, except this was different in it's own way. It was love.

* * *

**All right, everyone! This is getting interesting! Someone pshed Sandypaw off a cliff. Who? And the other thing... (shifts eyes) When will Snowyfeather's kits be born????? **

**I have decided to give out plushies to anyone who reviews. Ok, let's see. Ummm... Duskpaw! Yes! If you review, I give out a Duskpaw plushie! Yay! (cuddles) So please, review! (waves Duskpaw in the air)**


	10. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! **

**First, I named my cat Dapplecloud! Thank you for suggesting it, Goldenthicket! And Dapplecloud now has two kits! Melody and Stripe! Whoo hoo!!!!! Yay!**

**I can sometimes be lazy, so I've decided to answer all my reviews right here. Even if there aren't many. So here they are.**

**Goldenthicket- Of course! (ties ribbon) (gives plushie) Those are all really good names, by the way. I might use them in future stories. Maybe. Yeah.**

**Whisperclaw15- Thanks!**

**Sparklingstar -aka Sparkles...- Thank you, thank you! (bows)**

**MidnightNinja611- Ok! (hands over plushie)**

**Steeltalon - She makes me want to allergic too. (sneezes) **

**Fox-Zodiac - Sorry, but it's **_**not **_**brother and sister love. It's love love. You know what I mean.**

**Pebblepaw - I know, I know. But it took me a while to write this. School and all... Uh, well, here ya go! (gives plushie) **

**I'm don't know if I answered everyone's review's. Hmmm... Oh well. Everyone gets a cookie! (gives out coookies for no reason) **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Sandypaw stared at the sky. The clouds were dark and murky, and Sandypaw had to supress a shiver as a drop of water fell onto her head.

"I hope it doesn't rain," she meowed to Duskpaw, who was sitting on the ground beside her.

"Nah." Duskpaw shook her head. "If it does, I'll tell StarClan to make it rain mice instead."

Sandypaw chuckled, then stopped as she spotted Flamefur walking over to the medicine den. She stared at him, a shiver crawling up and down her spine. She watched him disappear into Webclaw's den, then bent down to lick her fur. The sun had set three times since Sandypaw's near-death at Falling Cliffs. Her leg felt better now, though she had started wishing that her accident had never happened. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen in love with Flamefur and everything would be perfect.

Flamefur came out of the medicine den and noticed Sandypaw looking at him. He waved his tail in greeting. Sandypaw sank her claws into the ground to stop herself from running over to the ginger tom. She nodded at him, and he walked away. Sandypaw gazed at him, cursing herself. Why did she have to love the deputy, of all cats?

Duskpaw cocked her head. "What's wrong, Sandypaw?" Her eyes followed Sandypaw's gaze and smiled.

"Oh, I see," she said.

"What do you mean?" Sandypaw meowed, staring at her friend. Had Duskpaw discovered her secret?

"Well, I might be wrong," Duskpaw replied, licking her paw. "But I think you're..." She glanced around before whispering, "in love."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sandypaw shot back, but she didn't look the silver she-cat in the eye. Duskpaw grinned.

"Sandypaw, you can't hide it from me. It's obvious that you love Flamefur."

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

Sandypaw sighed. " Ok, fine, I do love him."

Duskpaw smiled. "I thought so." The expression on her face became serious. "Flamefur has a mate," she reminded. "And - " She stopped. Sandypaw looked at Duskpaw suspiciously. "Do you know something I don't know?"

Duskpaw glanced around nervously, but before she could answer, Glaciercloud walked over to them. "Sandypaw, I want you to come on patrol with me," the white cat meowed. Sandypaw stood up. "Who else is going?" she asked.

"Blazefur, Shrubfoot, Weedpaw, and Dewfeather," Glaciercloud answered. "Now let's go."

Sandypaw said good bye to Duskpaw and followed her mentor happily to the bramble thicket, where the rest of the patrol was waiting.

Glaciercloud turned to the cats.

"We're going to patrol near the CloudClan border today," she meowed. "I heard that they've been stealing prey again."

"They are?" Sandypaw turned and saw that Duskpaw had caught up to them.

"I'm not sure," Glaciercloud replied.

"Well, if they are," Duskpaw declared. "I'll claw their eyes out until they start begging me for mercy!"

"We don't want you to turn savage, Duskpaw," Dewfeather put in.

"I'm not!" Duskpaw exclaimed. "I just don't like CloudClan. Well, there are a few nice cats there," she added hastily when she saw Sandypaw's look. "But the others are up to no good."

Blazefur looked about to reply when Weedpaw asked, "Do I have to go on the patrol?"

"Yes," Glaciercloud meowed tartly. "It's about time you got out of the camp."

"But there are monsters and Twolegs and all kinds of things out there!" Weedpaw protested.

"Oh, Weedpaw," Duskpaw mewed, batting at the brown tom's head. "Just because you're - "

"Shhh!!" Sandypaw motioned for Duskpaw to be silent, but Weedpaw had already noticed. His eyes widened fearfully and he looked down at his paws.

"Duskpaw!" Blazefur scolded. "Don't remind him! As if he needs enough reminding already!"

"I'm fine," Weedpaw said, raising his head. "I don't need to be fussed over. It's all right to talk about it."

No one said a word. Weedpaw glared at them. "Fine! I'll tell you myself!"

Duskpaw glanced at Sandypaw. "Is he ok?" she mouthed. Sandypaw shrugged. Weedpaw certainly had never acted like this before.

"My siblings, Glimmerkit, Dawnkit, and Clawkit died from greencough," Weedpaw growled, his eyes blazing. "My father, Brownclaw, died when that - that fox dung of an eagle carried him off. My mother, Whitestream, was killed by that cough that has no name."

"And no cure," Duskpaw muttered, but Weedpaw did not hear her.

"I have no one now, I know," Weedpaw continued. "But just because of that, you don't have to treat me like a kit!"

"We don't treat you like a kit," Dewfeather meowed warmly. "We try to protect you, just like we do for the rest of the Clan." At her last words she glanced at Sandypaw, and Sandypaw was relieved to see that her eyes did not hold hate or spite.

"And you're wrong about another thing, Weedpaw," Sandypaw added. "You aren't alone. You have your Clan. And you have us."

Weedpaw said nothing. His expression became calm again, and he looked down at his paws. Then he whispered, "I guess you're right. I just never got to know them."

Sandypaw and Duskpaw looked at each other. Duskpaw meowed loudly, "This is really touching, and I wish I could stay and chat, but Wildfeather said he'd give me a training lesson._ And you have to go on patrol,_" she finished, reminding the others in her own way that they had something to do.

"That's right," Glaciercloud meowed, taking charge. "Come on, everyone. While we were talking, CloudClan could have stolen all the fresh-kill in our territory!"

Sandypaw said good-bye to Duskpaw, then ran after her mentor, enjoying the feel of the cool wind whipping through her fur. Before she knew it, they were at the CloudClan border. Glaciercloud and Blazefur tried to sniff out any CloudClan scent on their territory.

"I can smell all kinds of CloudClan scent, but I can't tell if they're here or there," Blazefur meowed.

"That's because we're at the CloudClan border, mousebrain," Glaciercloud said. "We would smell their scent anyway, even if they hadn't come to our territory."

"Oh. That's right." Blazefur looked embarassed. Then he stared at Dewfeather. "What are you doing?"

Sandypaw glanced at the silver she-cat. Dewfeather was looking out into CloudClan territory, her eyes narrowed, almost as though she had spotted something.

"I don't know," she murmered. She looked at them. "You go see if there's CloudClan scent in our territory. I'll check this out." She bent down into a crouch and stared at the marshes of the enemy Clan's territory. Glaciercloud cocked her head questioningly, but said nothing. Turning, she said, "Blazefur and I will patrol near the OwlPine. Weedpaw, Sandypaw, I want you two to go past the River Ridge."

Sandypaw nodded. Weedpaw looked hesitant, but finally mewed in agreement. He stumbled up a small hill and disappeared out of sight, Sandypaw right behind.

As Sandypaw ran down the grassy path, she thought she felt something watching her. She stopped and twisted her head around, and what she saw made her jump back in shock. Two eyes were peering at her out of the bushes. But it was the color of them that made Sandypaw get the chills. They were red. Blood red.

Sandypaw stared at the unblinking red eyes, and they stared back. But before Sandypaw could be quite sure that they were real, they melted into the shadows of the bushes.

Sandypaw stood, frozen. Then she cautiously walked towards the bush and stuck her nose inside. Nothing. No scent at all. Sandypaw pulled her muzzle out and stared at the bush where she had seen the mysterious eyes. They belonged to a cat, all right. But there wasn't any scent... Did that mean she had just imagined the entire thing?

"Sandypaw!"

Sandypaw jumped, her back bristling. Then she realized it was Weedpaw's voice. But her back bristled again when she heard Weedpaw yowl in pain. Quick as lightning, Sandypaw was on her paws and speeding along Weedpaw's scent trail. By now, Weedpaw had stopped yowling.

_Oh, StarClan, please don't let Weedpaw be dead! _Sandypaw thought. She hurled herself over a boulder and landed on the hard ground. With a grunt, she pulled herself back up and looked around.

She wasn't at River Ridge anymore. Weedpaw's scent trail had led her straight to FourClaws. Sandypaw looked up at the stones and shivered. For the first time in her whole life, the claw shaped boulders seemed much more menacing than comforting as she thought of what could have happened to Weedpaw.

Sandypaw took a step forward. A leaf crunched under her paw. Sandypaw froze. Except for the whistling of the wind, there was silence. Sandypaw hurriedly squeezed through the stones and into the clearing.

Sandypaw stared at her surroundings. Nothing looked out of the ordianary. Except... What was that smell?

Sandypaw sniffed the air and her eyes widened as she recognized the scent. Blood! Sandypaw swung her head around to look at the Great Tree. Thoughts of the blood red eyes flooded her mind. Did they have something in common with this?

Sandypaw padded behind the Great Tree and saw something brown laying near the tree's roots. Sandypaw went closer and took a step back. It was Weedpaw. He looked up at her wearily and cautiously. His eyes seemed to lighten with recognition, but then became shadowed with fear.

"Go, Sandypaw!" He meowed. "Go!"

"Weedpaw, I can't just leave you here!" Sandypaw mewed desperately.

Weedpaw looked like he was about to reply, but then he cried, "Sandypaw, look out!"

Sandypaw turned just as something heavy landed on top of her. She yowled and kicked her hind legs up at her opponent, just as Glaciercloud had taught her to do. The other cat flew into the air and fell to the ground. Before Sandypaw could even turn around, the cat ran to her and responded by grabbing her tail and yanking it hard. Sandypaw screeched and bit down on the cat's back. It leaped away from her and snarled. Sandypaw spun and faced the cat, and stared at it.

"Applepaw?"

The cat looked at her, her eyes widening also. "Sandypaw?"

"What are you doing here?" Sandypaw asked blankly.

"I could ask you the same thing," Applepaw replied, her claws sliding back inside her paws.

Weedpaw stared from one she-cat to the other, looking shocked. "You _know _this cat Sandypaw!?"

"Yes." Sandypaw nodded.

"How can you be so polite?" Weedpaw asked incredulously. "She almost killed me!"

"Sorry about that," Applepaw meowed, glancing at him. "I thought you were the cat with the red eyes."

"Do my eyes look red to you?" Weedpaw asked. Then he paused. "What do you mean, cat with red eyes?"

Sandypaw stared. Applepaw had seen a cat with red eyes too? Did that mean that it wasn't her imagination?

"Um, Applepaw, I'd like to talk to you privately," Sandypaw whispered.

"Your friend's going to be ok, right?" Applepaw meowed.

"He was just exaggerating," Sandypaw said. Indeed, Weedpaw's wound was big, but not big enough to kill him. "I don't know what's gotten into him today!"

Applepaw shrugged. "Ok. Here. Follow me." She led the way to the stones of the Gathering place, then sat down. "What do you want?"

"You said you saw a cat with red eyes," Sandypaw meowed. "Well... I saw it too."

Applepaw's eyes widened. "No kidding? That's wierd. You see, I was hunting, and then some red eyes just peered out at me behind a bush. I just stared at it, and soon it disappeared. I looked inside the bush, but I couldn't smell it's scent."

"That's what happened with me too," Sandypaw mewed, nodding.

Applepaw continued. "Well, I noticed that it had left some paw prints in the soil, so I followed it all the way here. Then I heard someone yowl, and when I looked behind the Great Rock, I saw a cat panting. I thought it was the cat with the red eyes, so I pounced on it. Apparently," she said with a sheepish smile. "I had attacked your friend instead."

"So that means," Sandypaw meowed after a moments thought. "That the cat with the red eyes attacked Weedpaw first?"

"I guess," Applepaw said with a shrug. "How about you ask your friend. Maybe he knows."

Sandypaw nodded and padded back behind the Great Tree. Weedpaw was attempting to press some leaves onto his wound, so Sandypaw took charge.

"Well, it's about time you got back here!" Weedpaw meowed. "I was bleeding so bad, I thought I would go to StarClan!"

"You're starting to sound like Ravenpaw," Sandypaw muttered, accidentally voicing her thoughts aloud.

Weedpaw looked at her. "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm going crazy."

"No, I think you're just tired," Sandypaw murmered. "There we go. We'd better get back to camp. Glaciercloud must be worrying."

"Well, good-bye, Sandypaw," Applepaw mewed. "Looks like the next time we meet will be at a Gathering, and I guess you'll be a bit unhappy by then."

"Why?" Sandypaw asked questioningly.

"Forget I ever mentioned it," Applepaw said, shaking her red head. "Bye-bye now!" She flicked her feathery tail and ran off. Sandypaw glanced behind her and saw Weedpaw toddling around to her side.

"Can you make it?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, giving her an affectionate nudge. "You know Sandypaw... you're like a sister to me. It makes me feel... wanted."

Sandypaw smiled, and helped Weedpaw make his way all through the forest and back to camp. As they walked through the bramble thicket, Glaciercloud came running towards them, looking both angry and worried.

"Sandypaw! Where were you and Weedpaw!?" she called.

"We -" Sandypaw began, but Glaciercloud didn't let her finish. "You had us worried sick, running away like that! Why do you always have to do that! Everyone was afraid you would get killed again!"

"I was following the red eyes," Sandypaw meowed defensively.

"Red eyes?" Glaciercloud asked quizzically.

So Sandypaw filled her mentor in on what had happened. When she was done, Glaciercloud looked at her thoughtfully. "It was probably a rogue. I'll tell Flamefur and then I'll follow the scent."

"But it doesn't have any scent," Sandypaw pointed out. Glaciercloud looked surprised. "Well then, we'll just have to keep a close watch. I'll talk to Flamefur about it."

"Umm, hello?" Weedpaw meowed, waving his paw in front of the white she-cat. Glaciercloud's gaze slid down to Weepaw's wound. She slapped a paw to her face.

"I completely forgot! Weedpaw, go to the medicine den."

Weedpaw nodded and ran as quickly as he could to Webclaw's den. Glaciercloud turned to Sandypaw and sighed. "I honestly don't know what we're going to do with you, Sandypaw."

"How about let me sleep?" Sandypaw suggested.

Glaciercloud shook her head. "Uh uh. You can rest, but not sleep. Besides, it's the middle of the day," she added. "I want you to go to Bloodpaw and help him collect juniper berries for Webclaw and Graypaw."

Sandypaw dipped her head respectfully. "Yes, Glaciercloud." She padded into the apprentice den. Bloodpaw was lying on the ground, his eyes closing and then snapping open again. Sandypaw prodded his side. "Get up, sleepy rabbit. We're going to get juniper berries."

Bloodpaw jumped to his paws. The way his eyes glimmered brightly made Sandypaw uneasy. She turned around deliberately, and she sensed Bloodpaw's tail droop. Then Bloodpaw meowed, "Well, let's go!"

Sandypaw walked out of the den and padded out of camp without a word. Bloodpaw trotted quickly behind her, saying things like "Wow, the weather's beautiful today!" or "Come on, let's go sniff the flowers!" Something didn't feel right about him today, though. She had known Bloodpaw her whole life, but now it felt like she was padding alongside a stranger.

Bloodpaw jumped up in the air, slapped his paws together, and came down with a sparrow in his paws. He grinned. "How was that, huh?"

Sandypaw just stared at him. Why did she get the feeling that he was trying to... impress her or something?

Bloodpaw stopped near a juniper bush, sniffed it, and drew back his head.

"Yuck!" he meowed with distaste. "What is that?'

Sandypaw looked at the bush. "It's rabbit dung, you mousebrain."

"Oh," Bloodpaw meowed in disappointment. Then he cheered up again. "I knew that!"

Sandypaw rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she would rather stare at the red eyes than be here. _Stop it, Bloodpaw!_ she ordered in her mind. _You're scaring me!_

Sandypaw looked down at the ground. A mouse right near her picked up a seed, and as it was distracted, Sandypaw pounced on it. With a swift bite, it was dead.

"Great job, Sandypaw!" Bloodpaw purred, licking her cheek. Sandypaw jumped away from him, her fur bristling. "S - Stop that, you piece of foxdung!"

Bloodpaw looked startled. "Sandypaw, I - I'm sorry, I didn't mean - " He took one step toward her. Sandypaw unsheathed her claws.

"Don't come a step closer!" Sandypaw growled. How dare he! How dare he try and impress her! Who did he think he was, anyway?

"Sandypaw, I'm not going to hurt you!" Bloodpaw meowed desperately. Sandypaw sensed the truth in his voice. She relaxed a bit, but was still cautious, not taking her eyes off him for a second.

Bloodpaw noticed her look and said, "Sandypaw, I mean it. I won't do anything to you."

"And why should I believe you?' she whispered.

Bloodpaw looked at her straight in the eye, so Sandypaw closed her eyelids so she could block out his stare. "If I was going to hurt you, why am I not going for you now? Sandypaw, it's just me, your friend, Bloodpaw."

Sandypaw's closed eyes opened again, and her fur relaxed on her back. She sat down and looked at him. "What?"

Bloodpaw stared at her in return. "What what?"

"You know what I mean!" Sandypaw snapped. "Something's bothering you, why else would you be acting this way?"

Bloodpaw lowered his gaze away from her and turned his back to her. "You're right, Sandypaw. There is something wrong with me. And it was wrong to keep it from you all these moons."

"Keep what from me?' Sandypaw asked, now curious. She hesitantly padded up to him and sat down. Bloodpaw still did not look at her.

"Duskpaw's known about it for a few moons, and she kept her promise and didn't tell you," he meowed. "But I guess now's the time." He took a deep breath and stared into her emerald green eyes.

"Sandypaw... I love you."

Sandypaw stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Then, after what seemed like moons and moons and moons, she spoke. "What?" Her voice was a mere whisper. So _that _was why he had been acting strange! But... he loved her? Like... like the 'having kits' kind of love? That was going too far!

"I - I love you," Bloodpaw repeated. "I do, Sandypaw, I really do. And..." He paused and sighed. "I - I want to do what most cats who are in love do."

Sandypaw's eyes widened. "You mean... mate?" She stumbled backwards and tripped over a tree root. She fell to the ground, her legs splayed out behind her. She got quickly to her paws before Bloodpaw could do anything.

"Bloodpaw... we're apprentices," she told him shakily.

"No one could know!" Bloodpaw meowed.

"But there's another thing. I don't love you, Bloodpaw," Sandypaw mewed. Bloodpaw's tail drooped. "What?"

"I don't," Sandypaw said bravely. "And don't try and force me on you!"

Bloodpaw was silent. Then he wrapped his tail around his paws. "I wouldn't dare force you to do anything," he whispered. "Even if we never will be together, like you say."

Sandypaw shook her head. "You'll find someone, Bloodpaw. And I'll get Fla - I mean, someone too," she meowed quickly, her fur becoming hot. Bloodpaw looked at her. "Do you have someone in mind?"

"Well, I don't really -" Sandypaw began.

"Yes you do, I know you do," Bloodpaw interrupted. "Who is it?"

Sandypaw looked at him, and decided to tell him. Even if he loved her, he was still her best friend. He and Duskpaw would be sure to keep her secret. Hopefully.

"Flamefur," she whispered. Bloodpaw's jaw dropped. "Flamefur?"

"Yes, Flamefur!" Sandypaw snarled, her insides suddenly broiling with anger. "And don't say a word against him!"

Bloodpaw indeed did not say anything against Flamefur. In fact, he did not say anything at all. Then he looked up at her. "If you love him," he said hoarsely. "Then I won't stop you from loving him. I want you to be happy. And if your happiness will come from Flamefur, then so it shall."

Sandypaw smiled warmly at him. She licked the top of his head happily. He looked surprised, but brighter at the fact that she was ok with him now.

"Come on," Bloodpaw meowed. "Let's get those juniper berries."

_

* * *

_

Sandypaw and Bloodpaw carried their load of berries into the camp. Both of them were feeling much better now, and they smiled at each other. Sandypaw felt like she was back with the old Bloodpaw again; there was no more trace of the new one. Bloodpaw had acted normal on their way back, not trying to impress her anymore. Sandypaw grinned when she saw Ravenpaw coming at them, and instantly felt foolish. Why in the name of StarClan was she _grinning?_

Sandypaw suddenly had a plan. She whispered something in Bloodpaw's ear and he nodded back. Mischevious grins slid up their faces. Sandypaw hid inside a bush, while Bloodpaw floundered over to Ravenpaw..

"Hello," he meowed cheerfully.

Ravenpaw glared at him. "What do you want, mousebrain?"

"Didn't your mother ever tell you to mind your manners?" Bloodpaw mock scolded.

Ravenpaw scowled. "What do you want? And make it quick, I don't have all day."

Bloodpaw looked up at the sky and gazed at the clouds. "Hmm... three clouds... four, five, six..."

"Get on with it!" Ravenpaw hissed.

"Well, someone's bad tempered today!" Bloodpaw said, smiling.

Ravenpaw growled and unsheathed his claws. Bloodpaw held up his paws in mock defeat. "You've got me, I surrender! Now, what was I going to say...?" He looked up at the sky again, then grinned. "Oh yeah, I remember." He pulled a juniper berry from behind the bush that Sandypaw was hiding in and yelled, "FIRECLANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" And with that, he started picking up berries and throwing them at Ravenpaw, who ducked to avoid them.

"What are you trying to do, you mouse - !?" Ravenpaw growled, but his sentance ended in a squeal, for Bloodpaw had aimed at exactly the right place. Ravenpaw growled and crouched down.

Sandypaw came out of her hiding spot with berries in her mouth. Grinning, she joined Bloodpaw in throwing berries at the black tom. Finally, Ravenpaw had had enough.

"I'm telling!" he yowled.

Sandypaw smiled. "Telling what? That you're covered with red berry juice?"

Ravenpaw snarled at her, but raced away. Bloodpaw shrugged at Sandypaw. "Well, it isn't our fault that he's a stuck up tom."

Sandypaw giggled, then stopped as she saw that Ravenpaw was back. The black tom grinned. "You're in for it now, Half-Clan!"

Beside Ravenpaw was Oakstar and Flamefur. Sandypaw wanted to melt at the sight of the dark ginger tom, but fortunately did not. Instead, she listened to Oakstar's words politely.

"What has happened?" Oakstar asked. "And why is Ravenpaw in such a big mess?"

"They threw berries at me!" Ravenpaw burst out.

"Is that true?" Flamefur asked, looking over Sandypaw and Bloodpaw.

The two apprentices exchanged a glance, then said, "Yeah."

Ravenpaw looked triumphant. Oakstar, on the other paw, looked stern. "You do know you could be punished for doing that."

"No we can't," Bloodpaw meowed without concern.

"What do you mean?" Flamefur asked just as calmly, a twinkle in his eye as if he understood.

"Well, the only thing we did was throw berries at him," Sandypaw meowed, licking her paw. "There isn't anything in the warrior code against that. And, obviously, he weren't fighting him or doing anything violent, and he isn't hurt. So..."

"There's no reason why we should be punished," Bloodpaw finished.

Ravenpaw growled low in outrage. Oakstar seemed thoughtful. "What you say is true. I will let you pass this time, but do not do this again."

"Yes, Oakstar," Bloodpaw and Sandypaw meowed together. Oakstar nodded to them, and padded slowly back to his den. After a few moments, he stumbled and landed to the ground with a grunt. Flamefur rushed over to help him up, but Oakstar raised a paw to stop him. "Don't mind me, Flamefur. I'm fine." He got back up and went inside his den.

Sandypaw remembered how Flamefur had told her that Oakstar was on his last life, and stared at the leader's den until Ravenpaw's voice distracted her.

"You got lucky this time, Half-Clan," Ravenpaw hissed. "But next time you won't be as lucky." He glared at them and stalked back to the apprentice den. Bloodpaw rolled his eyes. "Show off."

Gathering up the rest of their juniper berries, they padded inside Webclaw's den. Webclaw was treating Weedpaw, and looked up from where he was. "Well, thank you for that!" he purred.

"No problem," Bloodpaw and Sandypaw meowed, grinning. Graypaw looked at them. "I heard you used up some of our juniper berries to throw them at Ravenpaw." Her gaze wasn't accusing, just knowing.

"Really?" Webclaw asked. "Well, it doesn't matter. You have plenty enough berries with you now as it is. Now run along and do... whatever you apprentices do."

"Wait, Webclaw," Graypaw meowed. "I want to tell them something."

"Ok," Webclaw said, going back to work. Graypaw turned to her friends, looking excited. "Webclaw's letting me come with him to the StarryCave tonight!"

"You mean you're going to see the MoonCrystal?" Sandypaw asked in astonishment. She had never had the chance to see the MoonCrystal before, but she knew it was the place where medicine cats and leaders went to talk to StarClan.

Graypaw nodded. "I might even get my name tonight!" She hopped around. "Oh, I can't wait!"

Sandypaw laughed. "I'm sure you can't. See you later, Graypaw."

"Bye-bye!" Graypaw meowed as they went outside.

Bloodpaw turned to Sandypaw. "If it's all right with you, I'm going to rest in the apprentice den." His eyes twinkled. "Or maybe I'll put a spider on Ravenpaw's nose. That would be fun!"

Sandypaw laughed and bid him good bye, then padded over to the fresh-kill pile, where she sat down and ate.

"Hello, Sandypaw."

Sandypaw jumped when she heard a voice beside her speak. She turned around, and her heart started to thump wildly when she saw it was Flamefur.

Flamefur bit into a mouse and meowed, "Nice trick you played on Ravenpaw. Very clever. I remember how Lightningfur and I used to do that to Coldheart."

"You did?' Sandypaw asked in wonder. Then she paused. "Who's Coldheart?"

"Snowyfeather's brother," Flamefur meowed. "The only difference betweeen them was that he had a cold heart."

_Then there isn't any difference between them,_ Sandypaw thought. "Is that how he got his name?"

Flamefur nodded. "We were all surprised when he said he was proud of it. He liked to bully me, like Ravenpaw likes to bully you. I remember Goldenpelt telling me that when I was a kit, he had insisted on calling me Stupidkit." He laughed.

"That's not very nice," Sandypaw remarked.

"Indeed," Flamefur replied. "But Snowyfeather defended me against him."

"Snowyfeather?" Sandypaw repeated in disbelief.

Flamefur nodded again, his eyes bright. "Snowyfeather was the only cat Coldheart loved, and he said nothing against her. His cold heart killed him in the end, though. Tried to give FireClan to CloudClan's leader, but he died somehow."

Sandypaw said bitterly, "And then you and Snowyfeather mated."

Flamefur looked hurt. "Why, that's not true."

"Uh huh," Sandypaw meowed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Webclaw rushing to the nursery. "What's Webclaw doing?"

"I don't know," Flamefur meowed, looking at the nursery. And suddenly, Webclaw came back out again, panting. "Flamefur! Snowyfeather's kits are coming!"

"What!?" Flamefur yowled, looking alarmed. He jumped to his paws. "Bring me to her!" He raced ahead of Webclaw and down into the den, where Sandypaw could hear a groan.

"Like, what's happening?"

Sandypaw turned to face Duskpaw, who had just come up to her. "Snowyfeather's kits are coming."

"Uh oh," Duskpaw said.

The two sat down and waited. After a long time, Flamefur came back out again, looking pleased. "Three kits! I have three kits!" He ran over to Sandypaw and Duskpaw. "Do you want to see them?"

Sandypaw and Duskpaw shrugged in answer and followed him inside the den. Inside, the nursing queens looked up at them and smiled warmly. Leopardkit stared at the deputy in wonder, then turned to Sorrelwing. "Didn't Flamefur just leave, mama? Why's he coming back?"

"That's his mate right there," Sorrelwing answered back.

Sandypaw turned to look. Snowyfeather was lying in the middle of the den, three kits suckling from her belly. The white cat looked up and narrowed her eyes when she saw Sandypaw, and turned her head away. Flamefur edged towards his kits.

"The white she-kit is Crystalkit," he mewed excitedly. "The light brown tabby tom with the ginger tail is Pigeonkit. And the silver she-kit with a white tail and paws is Streamkit."

Sandypaw glanced at the three scraps. Oh, how _she _wanted to be in Snowyfeather's place, suckling _Flamefur's _kits. "Yes, they're adorable."

Duskpaw nodded. "Really adorable. Innocent little things." She glanced at Sandypaw, and Sandypaw knew her friend was thinking the same thing. Would Snowyfeather's kits stay innocent, or would they become just like her?

* * *

**First of all, I only put in that Weedpaw thing because... I wanted to. (nods) He had a nervous breakdown, if you were wondering. And Bloodpaw was a bit creepy today, huh? Well, don't worry, he will never mention it again. Ever. **

**Ok. I am sorry that I had to put in the fact that Snowyfeather had kits. I wanted to put in that Snowyfeather died while giving birth and that Flamefur and Sandypaw lived happily ever after, but if I did, the story wouldn't be exciing. So sorry.**

**I shall give out Bloodpaw plushies! And if you want, I will let you have a Webclaw plushie to go with it! Yay!!!!! (huggles kitties)**

**Cats with red eyes are scary... Agh! (hides in a closet) Never mind. So review!**


	11. Chapter 9

**Ok, I am seriously sorry for the long wait. I have been so busy. Which is wierd, since I'm off from school for two weeks. So here are my replies to your reviews:**

**EyeOfTheTiger - Thank you! Love the name, too.**

**ThrushflightEdward'sStalker - Yeah, Snowyfeather's stupid. Sorry, we can't go Snowyfeather hunting, but I'll tell you when you can stick her with a spear.**

**Spottedfeather - I know, I'm sad too. But if Snowyfeather died, the story would be like, 'Sandypaw woke up. Sandypaw went to bed.' That's boring! Even if Snowyfeather is the meanest cat in the forest that we all want to kill.**

**SakuraCherriBlossom - Your wish is my command. -waves wand- There you have it! A new story chappie!**

**Darkriver101 - Yeah, I like Webclaw too. He's so... mediciney. **

**MidnightNinja611 - No, Snowyfeather is not the cat with red eyes. She's got ice cold eyes. Cold is the key word. Red is burning hot! But there is one thing in common. -leans in- EVILNESS!!!! -hides in a box-**

**Did I answer everyone? I think so... And I don't know if I mentioned this already, but instead of putting lines all the time, ****I'm going to be putting this:**

**_...Sand...Fire..._**

**You know, Sand is Sandypaw and Fire is FireClan. Good.**

**Okey dokee. Here is the story. One warning though: Duskpaw is not crazy.**

* * *

Sandypaw padded by Duskpaw's side thorugh the forest. She leapt playfully on the silver she-cat, and they rolled around on the ground in a play fight. Wildfeather batted his paw at them. "Play later. Training now."

"Oh, you don't have to be so blunt, Wildfeather!" Duskpaw meowed. Wildfeather laughed. "Right, you two. Get off the ground and and keep walking forward."

"Say, where _are _we going?" Sandypaw asked curiously.

"The Dusty Plain, of course," Wildfeather retorted. "That's the place where we train isn't it?"

"Yeah!" Duskpaw meowed enthusiastically. "Let's go! Quickly now!" She ran ahead of them.

"Oh no you don't!" Sandypaw yowled, racing after her. Her paws beat hard against the ground as she caught up to her friend. Duskpaw slowed down and came to a stop, panting for breath. "Phew! That was tiring!"

"It's your fault you were running so fast!" Sandypaw cut in.

Duskpaw swiped at her playfully. "Don't get me in a bad mood, or I'll scratch your eyes out!"

"You remind me of old Halfear," Sandypaw purred. She glared at Duskpaw sternly in a shrewd imitation of Halfear. "Clean out the beddings and pull my ticks out, or I'll make you wish you had never been born, apprentice!"

Duskpaw chuckled along with Sandypaw. They did not notice that Wildfeather had caught up to them.

"Don't make fun of your elders," Wildfeather said sternly, making them jump. "We're at the Dusty Plain, in case you hadn't noticed."

Sandypaw and Duskpaw looked around. Wildfeather was right. They were at the training hollow. It wasn't exactly a plain, but it was a wide open space.

"Do we get to fight?" Duskpaw asked.

Wildfeather nodded. "All right, you two. I want you to be ready to fight when I say go. Ok?"

The apprentices nodded. Duskpaw bared her fangs at Sandypaw. Sandypaw flattened her ears and hissed.

"Go!" Wilfeather yowled. Duskpaw pounced on top of Sandypaw as quick as a rabbit. She swiped a paw across Sandypaw's face. Sandypaw flinched, knowing that if this had been a real battle, her face would have probably been torn in two. She rolled over onto her back and kicked hard at Duskpaw's belly. Duskpaw flew a few tail lengths away and landed on the ground. Picking herself up, Duskpaw spat out a mouthful of dust and ran back towards Sandypaw. Sandypaw jumped to the side just in time. As Duskpaw skidded to a halt, Sandypaw leaped on top of her in one swift movement. She placed a paw on Duskpaw's throat, looking triumphant. She had won.

Wildfeather signaled Sandypaw to let Duskpaw get to her feet. "Very good," Wildfeather told them. "Duskpaw, you need to practice a bit more, but you're quick. And Sandypaw, you know a lot about the fighting moves. Impressive. You could prove to be a deadly opponent in battle."

Sandypaw nodded at his praise. She didn't want to seem too proud. Duskpaw didn't look mad at how impressed Wildfeather was with Sandypaw, though. She rolled over on the ground and stared up at Sandypaw with delight. "See, Sandypaw? Look at the respect you have now!"

"What's all this about respect?" Wildfeather asked suspiciously.

Sandypaw flicked her tail over Duskpaw's mouth before she could blabber anything else out. "Nothing," she said quickly. "Nothing at all."

Wildfeather grunted and turned around. "All right. That's it for today. Go and do what you must do."

Duskpaw scrambled to her paws, her tail twitching. "Come on, Sandypaw!" she meowed excitedly. "I have to tell you something!" She ran in the direction of the camp. Sandypaw followed her, trying to catch up. "Hey, wait!"

It was at the bramble thicket that Duskpaw finally stopped running. Sandypaw stopped beside her and glanced at her. "What's got you so excited?"

"Well, first of all, Deeppaw and I caught an adder," Duskpaw meowed.

"An adder!" Sandypaw repeated in wonder. "Can you eat adders?"

Duskpaw wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, right. You want to try it and see?"

Sandypaw shook her head. "No, not really."

"Ok then. Here's what I really want to tell you." Duskpaw bent down and whispered something in Sandypaw's ear. Sandypaw's eyes widened. "Duskpaw! You can't possibly be doing that!"

"Well, I will do it, so there!" Duskpaw turned her nose up in the air.

"But Cloverwing and Fogpelt won't - " Sandypaw began.

Duskpaw bristled. "Cloverthing will deserve what she gets!" she hissed. "And as for Fogpelt, I don't consider him as my father anymore. So don't try to stop me, Sandypaw. I know you care, but I've made up my mind. Either Fogpelt betrays my mother, or I rot and die watching him do it."

Before Sandypaw could utter a word, Duskpaw left with her with her tail held high.

_...Sand ... Fire..._

Sandypaw and Bloodpaw talked about the upcoming Gathering at FourClaws. "I heard that a tree fell on top of Rockstar, so he lost a life," Bloodpaw meowed. Sandypaw looked alarmed. "So he has only one life left!?"

"I guess," Bloodpaw said, shrugging. He waved his tail at something. "Hi, Freckles!"

Sandypaw purred as she turned to Frecklecloud, who had narrowed her eyes at Bloodpaw. "My name isn't Freckles," she meowed good - naturedly. Her eyes lighted up with happiness as she looked at Sandypaw. "Guess what?"

"What?" Sandypaw asked.

"You have to guess!" Frecklecloud meowed impatiently, kneading her paws against the hard forest ground.

"Ooh, ooh, I know!" Bloodpaw shouted. "You went to join WaterClan!"

"No," Frecklecloud said calmly.

"Umm... you jumped off a tree and landed on a Twoleg's head?" Bloodpaw tried.

"No!" Frecklecloud hissed. She looked annoyed.

"Uh... you taught a dog how to fly and then made it fly straight into a tree so that it would fall and get dizzy and collapse and then you ate it and gave it to CloudClan so that they would collapse too and run away from here so that could never bother us again?" Bloodpaw guessed in one breath.

Frecklecloud blinked. "I have no idea what you just said, but no." She turned back to Sandypaw. "Actually..." Her eyes gleamed. "I'm expecting kits!"

Sandypaw gasped. "That's wonderful, Frecklecloud!" She looked behind her to see Brackenfang staring at them, his chest puffed out proudly. "Ae they Brackenfang's?" she whispered.

Frecklecloud nodded energetically. "I've already told Flamefur, Oakstar, Brackenfang, Furryfall, Shrubfoot, Clawfur, Fogpelt, and Frailpaw. I'm going to tell Clawfur now."

Sandypaw blinked. "I thought you said you already told Clawfur?"

Frecklecloud didn't seem to hear her as she trotted off to sit by Clawfur. Sandypaw stifled laughter as Clawfur yowled, "You already told me that!"

Bloodpaw nodded at the nursery. "That place will be packed before you can say 'mouse'!"

"Mouse," Sandypaw said. She looked at the den. "It's not full."

Bloodpaw shrugged. "Eh, guess not."

Sandypaw was vaulted to the ground as something knocked her down. Sandypaw stared at the silver face that was giggling down at her. "Hiya, Sandypaw!"

"Hello, Streamkit," Sandypaw purred. She shook the dust out of her fur and tried to look indignant. She squinted her eyes at Streamkit. "Don't hit a cat like that, or you go straight to the elders den to change their bedding!"

"You're just saying that," Streamkit meowed. "And I didn't _hit _you. I slammed into you... on accident," she added.

Streamkit sat down, her sapphire eyes glowing with anticapation. "Dad said I might become an apprentice soon."

_Dad?_ Sandypaw thought. _Oh. Of course. She means Flamefur._

"You're only five moons old," Bloodpaw pointed out, making Sandypaw jump. She had forgotten he was there.

"For now," Streamkit said, wrapping her fluffy white tail around her paws. She licked her chest, then looked up again. "But soon I won't be." At that moment, Pigeonkit and Crystalkit ran out to join their sister.

Pigeonkit puffed out his chest proudly. "I'm going to be the deputy!" he boasted.

"No you're not," Crystalkit argued. "Dad's the deputy."

"But when he becomes leader, I'll be deputy, and mother can be my assistant," Pigeonkit stated.

Streamkit dipped her head to her brother and grinned. "I bow before you, mighty one!"

Pigeonkit glared at her. "Is that an insult?" Withut waiting for an answer, he strutted importantly back to the nursery.

Crystalkit growled playfully. "You look like a bird, Pigeonkit!" She ran after him.

Streamkit looked at Sandypaw and shook her head. "Kits," she muttered. Sandypaw and Bloodpaw chuckled. Bloodpaw nodded at Streamkit. "See ya, guys. I'm going hunting." He left, leaving Sandypaw alone with Streamkit.

Streamkit looked up at Sandypaw and asked, "Do you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?" Sandypaw mewed, startled. She and Streamkit had become good friends as soon as the she-kit had started to walk. Sandypaw looked closely at Streamkit. "In fact, why would you ask such a question at all?"

Streamkit shrugged. "I don't know. I was just asking."

A hiss sounded quite suddenly from behind Sandypaw. The ginger apprentice spun around to come face-to-face with Snowyfeather. The white she-cat spat. "Hello, Sandypaw. I see you're... enjoying yourself." Although she spoke to Sandypaw, her eyes were glaring with disgust at Streamkit.

Sandypaw glanced at Streamkit. She seemed frozen. Sandypaw turned back to Snowyfeather. "Yes, I am. I was just talking to Streamkit."

"I see," Snowyfeather snarled between gritted teeth. She swung her white head in Streamkit's direction. "Come Streamkit. We need to have... a talk." She stalked to the nursery. Streamkit padded forward hesitantly and sat beside her mother, staring up at her with wide eyes.

Snowyfeather growled loud enough for Sandypaw to hear. "What, may I ask, were you doing with that Half-Clan?"

Streamkit immediately stood up in defense for her friend. "She's not Half-Clan," she meowed. "Sandypaw was born in FireClan."

"Answer the question!" Snowyfeather snapped, unsheathing her claws. Streamkit stared at her mother's paw as her claws scored the bare earth. "She's my friend."

Snowyfeather's voice shook with rage. "Your friend? Your _friend!?_ That Half-Clan - !"

"She's not a Half-Clan!" Streamkit yowled. She cowered down as Snowyfeather stalked forward menacingly. "If you become frends with a Half-Clan, you will betray the Clan. And if you betray the Clan, Oakstar will force you to leave."

Streamkit was shaking, but she stood up and stared defiantly at the white cat. "She's my friend, mother."

Snowyfeather snarled and brought her face close to Streamkit's. "You are no kit of mine!" She kicked Streamkit away, making the kit fly into the ground a few tail lengths away from her. Snowyfeather snorted at Streamkit's pitiful form, then, with a sweep of her tail, entered the nursery. Sandypaw shot towards Streamkit as fast as lightning, anger and worry surging through her. The other two kits, Crystalkit and Pigeonkit, had been watching. They beat Sandypaw to their sister and stared in horror at her. As Sandypaw made her way to Streamkit, the silver she-cat seemed to recover and got up. Her eyes betrayed sadness. "She hates me," she whispered quietly.

Sandypaw shook her head and stroked Streamkit with her tail. "No she doesn't. She's just..." Sandypaw paused. If she told Streamkit her description of Snowyfeather, it would probably upset the kit even more. "Never mind. Look, go play with your siblings."

Streamkit nodded silently and stood up. Sandypaw looked around. No one seemed to have noticed what went on between Snowyfeather and her daughter. As Flamefur's kits walked away, Sandypaw heard Pigeonkit say, "I changed my mind. Mom won't be my assistant when I'm deputy, you can count on that."

Anger rushed through her body. _How can Snowyfeather be so cruel? And to a kit! _Her_ kit!_ Sandypaw narrowed her eyes against the blazing sun and sank her claws into the ground. She began answering Streamkit's question in her mind. _No, Streamkit, I don't hate you. I just despise your mother!_

_...Sand...Fire..._

"Let all cats gather around the HighBoulder for a Clan meeting!"

Sandypaw raised her head as she heard the call. Yawning, she got up, only to be pushed back down. She glared at the darkness, unable to see who had pushed her. "Whoever did that, don't do it again!"

"Whoever did that, don't do it again!" mimicked the unmistakable voice of Ravenpaw. The black apprentice came close to her and grinned. "You can't give _me _orders."

"Don't start acting like you're superior over me!" Sandypaw shot back. "You can't give me orders either!"

Ravenpaw glared at her and opened his mouth to say something rude, but Frailpaw came between them. "Ravenpaw," she mewed sternly. "Stop this! I don't want to see or hear of it!"

Ravenpaw's eyes softened a bit. "Sure, Frailpaw." He shot one last glare at Sandypaw before sweeping out of the den. Sandypaw nodded her thanks to Frailpaw. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Frailpaw meowed. "He'll do anything for me. Well, if I asked him to kill himself, he probably wouldn't, but oh well."

Sandypaw smiled ruefully. _If he did kill himself, what a joy that would be!_

The two she-cats walked outside and stared at the stars. Frailpaw nodded. "Looks like something important is happening."

"I'll say!" Sandypaw smiled at Duskpaw, who had just appeared by her side. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see," Duskpaw answered.

On the HighBoulder, Oakstar called out weakly, "Settle down, please, FireClan!" No one except Sandypaw and Duskpaw seemed to hear him.

"Poor Oakstar," Sandypaw whispered. "He's getting old."

"He's been old for moons, and he was strong then," Duskpaw snorted.

Flamefur went to stand beside Oakstar and caterwauled. It immediately became quiet. Flamefur stepped back to let Oakstar talk, but Oakstar whispered something to him. Flamefur nodded in understanding and faced the Clan. "Cats of FireClan, tonight Webclaw and Graypaw will go to the MoonCrystal. There, Graypaw will get her new name."

A cheer arose amidst all the cats. Sandypaw whispered to Duskpaw, "Wasn't Graypaw supposed to get her name a few moons ago?"

Duskpaw shrugged. "I heard it was delayed or something."

"As it is," Flamefur meowed loudly. "Cloudclan have been scented on our territory... again. We will be making sure that all patrols check the CloudClan border to see that no Cloudclan cat has crossed over. Brackenfang, Bearfoot, you're in charge for the night patrols."

The two cats nodded, gathered some cats together, and left.

"We have another task also. To make kits into apprentices."

He nodded at something. Forestkit, Grasskit, Leopardkit, and Flowerkit stumbled up onto the HighBoulder, their pelts licked thoroughly and their eyes shining. Flamefur beckoned them to him. They strutted forward, their tails held high in the air.

"From this moment on you shall be known as Forestpaw, Leopardpaw, Grasspaw, and Flowerpaw," Flamefur declared. "Forestpaw, your mentor will be - "

At that moment, Brackenfang and Bearfoot raced into the camp with their patrols. Brackenfang was badly wounded from head to tail, a fresh cut slicking from his muzzle to his neck. He managed to gasp out, "CloudClan... Ambush... Nothing I could do..." Then he collapsed. A horrified yowl arose from the cats and Sandypaw was knocked to one side as Frecklecloud pushed past them. "That's my mate!" she yowled, her eyes turning amber with shock. "Brackenfang! Brackenfang!!"

A few cats tried to calm her as Bearfoot, who was not as wounded as bad as Brackenfang, spoke to Oakstar and Flamefur. "Some CloudClan cats ambushed us. Then almost all of CloudClan surrounded us, and we barely managed to escape. Rockstar was not among them." He paused, his eyes glinting with hate. "But Pinefoot was."

Someone yowled, "Rockstar was telling the truth!"

Bearfoot continued on, more urgently, "They followed us. We lost them, but they should know the way to the FireClan camp. We have to be ready to do battle!"

Oakstar spoke finally, his voice sounding much stronger, "Take Brackenfang to the medicine den, Webclaw. Kits, elders, and queens shelter in the nursery. Warriors, stand by and be ready to fight. Apprentices, remember your training. Lightningfur, keep watch at the bramble thicket. Yowl if you see them coming."

"Can we fight too?" Forestpaw asked.

"No, you haven't had training yet," Oakstar answered. "Go to the nursery with your brother and sisters."

He jumped off the HighBoulder and turned to Flamefur. "I can take care of myself this time, Flamefur. Help the others."

"No," Flamefur growled. "If there is a battle, I will stand by your side until I die. You were my mentor."

Oakstar nodded and sat down, staring silently as the cats of FireClan bustled about.

Duskpaw jumped up and down in excitement. "Oh, thank you StarClan, my first battle ever! I'm gonna make those CloudClan cats wish they had never been born."

"Yes, you'll scare them by jumping up and down like a kit," Sandypaw teased, although secretly she hoped Applepaw would not be among the CloudClan cats.

Sandypaw joined Glaciercloud, Fogpelt, Rosecloud, and Cedarfur. As soon as Duskpaw saw Fogpelt, she snorted and turned away. "I'm going to go help Graypaw sort herbs."

Sandypaw nodded and looked at Glaciercloud for instructions. Glaciercloud meowed, "You come with us. We're going to the nursery to put up some branches at its entrance so it will be protected."

Sandypaw stared at her. "Don't you think it's a bit late for that?"

"Even if there's little time left, you can make the best of it," Rosecloud meowed in her honey smooth voice, her wavy brown fur flowing against the wind. "That's what my mother taught me."

Cedarfur picked up a branch in his mouth. "Help me carry this," he directed Sandypaw, his voice a bit muffled. Sandypaw nodded and picked the other end up in her teeth, wincing as the sharp branch jabbed her in her paw. She narrowed her eyes and didn't complain, helping the warriors to put up the tree branches. As soon as the nursery was completely covered up, Fogpelt leaned back and sighed. "Done. Finally."

And then, Lightningfur's yowl echoed throughout the camp. Sandypaw felt the ground beneath her begin to shake, and she stared as Lightningfur raced into the camp. "They're here! CloudClan's h - !"

His voice was drowned out as CloudClan cats swarmed through the bramble thicket, apparently not feeling the sharp jabs of the thorns against their fur. Pinefoot leaped ahead of them and swiped the air with his claws, his fangs bared menacingly. "Fear the great Pinestar!"

"Pinestar?" Wildfeather yowled out incredulously. "What about Rockstar?"

But Pinestar did not answer. Instead, he turned and faced his Clan. "Attack!!!"

The rival Clan yowled a battle cry and met FireClan with tooth and claw. The battle had begun.

* * *

**I know, I know. What happened to Rockstar? You'll see. **

**The reason I didn't show what Duskpaw is going to do to Cloverwing is beacuse I'm gonna put in the next chapter. Really and truly, I have no clue what she's going to do. Lemme think about that.**

**Poor Streamkit. Her mother hates her. Wahhh!! -cries- -raises battle axe- Evil Snowyfeather!!!!**

**Ok, I have two other things. One, you can give me your idea of a name for one of Frecklecloud's kits. Just one, though. If I choose your name, you get... -drumroll- this life size plushie of Sandypaw! She talks and walks. Look, see. -turns to big Sandypaw plushie- Hi, Sandypaw!**

**Sandypaw plushie - Hi!**

**Me - I hate Snowyfeather.**

**Sandypaw plushie - (growls and unsheathes claws) Me too, me too!**

**Me- See? It's so awesome! But if you review at all, you get a Streamkit plushie and... -drumroll- A Snowyfeather voodoo plushie! Yay! (ThrushflightEdward'sStalker, you can stick Snowyfeather with a spear now!)**

**Buh-bye, and review please:)**


	12. Chapter 10

**I finished another chapter!! Yay!!!!! This one is one of my favorite chappies _ever!!!!!!!_ (clears throat) Anyways, in this chapter, it'll be a bit about that CloudClan fight thing and such. The rest is (whispers) _a secret! _Well, you'll see. Ok, here are my answers for you people out there who reviewed. (thanks so much!)**

**Shandril Wielder of Spellfire - Yeah, I know, Sandypaw's is soooooooooooooooooooooooo AWESOME! **

**Dr. Peppertail - (stares) You've been looking for it everywhere? Even under the table? Even in the laundry? Even in Africa?!? Ok, I'm going too far, but I'm glad you love it that much!**

**Shroomy133 - Bloodpaw and Sandypaw are cute, but... (shifts eyes) You know what I mean. And, yeah, Sandypaw's been an apprentice for soooo long. (raises hands) (speaks in eerie voice) All will be revealed...**

**Mudheart - I'll try to hurt her. Since she's eeeeevvvvvviiiiiiilllllll!!!!!!!!**

**ThrushflightEdward'sStalker - Hope you had a happy spear-sticking! Nice kit names...**

**Kittenkid111 - I know she's wonderful... I know the story's wonderful... I know I'M wonderful... Is that what the x3 means? lol**

**Ok, I hope everyone enjoyed the Snowyfeather voodoo doll! Yay! Ok, now, in the last chappie I asked you guys to give me a name for one of Frecklecloud's kit. If I liked your name, then you get this humongous Sandypaw plushie that talks to you and stuff like that. Ok. Let's have a drumroll! (drumroll starts) The winner for the Kit Naming isssss... (drumroll goes faster) ThrushflightEdward'sStalker!!!!!!!!!! Congrats! One of Frecklecloud's kits shall be called Birdkit! (hands over Sandypaw plushie) And I really wished I could use all the names I was given, but I can't. But I promise I'll use them later on. Ok, on to the story!**

* * *

(read the top bold print wordsand the bottom bold print words. They have important stuff!)

Sandypaw fell to the ground as Runningfoot, a silver tabby CloudClan tom, leapt on her. Sandypaw reacted quickly. She moved her head to the side as Runningfoot batted at her with an unsheathed paw. She ducked his other blow and raced under him, scratching his belly as she went. Runningfoot yowled in pain and raced out of the CloudClan camp.

Sandypaw jumped to her paws and looked around. She saw Duskpaw growling at Barkfur, a brown tom, and Bloodpaw battling Petalpaw. They didn't seem to need any help. And then she saw Swipepaw. He was battling with Pouncefoot, flailing his paws at the CloudClan cat with desperation. Sandypaw knew that Swipepaw was fearless and strong, but he was obviously no match for the big cat. Sandypaw bounded to his side, and together they fought, side by side. As Sandypaw dealt Pouncefoot a blow to the shoulder, Swipepaw smiled a her. "Thanks for backing me up."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Sandypaw panted, dodging Pouncefoot's paw. Swipepaw kicked out with his hind leg, battering Pouncefoot's scarred face. "Yeah." He looked at Sandypaw strangely. "You'll be a great warrior someday, Sandypaw."

"Thanks," Sandypaw meowed, scratching Pouncefoot's flank.

Swipepaw smiled again, his eyes shining. "Put me under the stars where I can see StarClan. And don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

Sandypaw clawed at Pouncefoot's unprotected legs and stared at Swipepaw. "What are you talking about?"

Swipepaw unsheathed his claws. "Goodbye, Sandypaw." He raced at Pouncefoot and leaped into the air, his shout echoing across the clearing. "FireClannnnnnnn!!" He fell on top of the brown tabby tom. Pouncefoot seemed stunned, but then he recovered. Growling, he swiped his claws across Swipepaw's belly. Swipepaw fell to the ground, writhing. His eyes met Sandypaw's before they misted over and he fell limp in the sand.

"Swipepaw!" Sandypaw yowled. She rushed over to him. A tear fell from her eye. She hadn't spent her whole life with Swipepaw, but they had been good friends. He, along with a few others, had been the ones to stick up with her right from the start, even when others hissed and yowled insults at her. And now he was gone. Sandypaw's eyes narrowed and she snapped her head around to face Pouncefoot, who was howling with triumph. She snarled angrily and jumped on him with rage, biting and clawing in any place she could reach. "Evil, dirty, murdering piece of fox-dung!"

Pouncefoot wailed and tried to shake her off. Sandypaw kept a firm grip on him, her eyes blazing as she hissed into his face, "Murderers must pay!" She raised her paw to strike him, then faltered. She couldn't just kill him! Cats couldn't kill rivals for no reason, no matter how much they wanted to. She released the astonished cat, glaring at him through narrowed slits. "I won't kill you, but mess with my friends again and - "

Pouncefoot didn't wait to hear the rest. He had disappeared. Sandypaw stood, panting. She ignored the fighting around her. The blood pounding through her veins, she stared at Swipepaw's pitiful body. Then she was knocked aside as a ginger she-cat leapt on her. Sandypaw fought instinctively, scratching and biting. She didn't know who this cat was and she didn't care. Anger coursed through her. CloudClan! And to think she could be related to any one of these mousebrained cats!

The cat parted from her, and Sandypaw jumped up, blood flowing openly from a wound on her back. Her jaw dropped open in shock. "Applepaw?"

Applepaw's eyes widened. "Sandypaw?" They stared at each other. Then Applepaw backed away. "I won't fight you. I can't."

"I won't tell anyone," Sandypaw whispered. Applepaw nodded briefly, then disappeared in the throng of cats.

After she recovered from her temporary shock, Sandypaw growled and battled madly, strengthened by the flow of anger and grief that coursed through her. And then someone snatched her up by her scruff. She struggled wildly, hissing and spitting. "Let go of me! Let - !"

The cat laughed, and Sandypaw was whirled around to see Pinestar staring at her, his eyes gleaming with laughter and prickling with danger. "What's a pretty little she-cat kicking and scratching for?" he cooed. "You should be having fun in a nursery. With a tom."

Sandypaw got his point right away. Her claws grazed his muzzle as she yowled, "Don't you dare touch me, you filthy piece of crowfood!"

"Filthy piece of crowfood, eh?" Pinestar sneered, dodging her blows. "You said the wrong thing, apprentice!" He dropped her to the ground and placed a big brown paw on her, holding her down. His ice blue eyes roved over the fighting cats. He yowled, "Surrender of I kill this apprentice!"

FireClan cats turned their heads to see who the apprentice was. Seizing their chance, the CloudClan cats leaped on the other Clan cats, hoding them down with unsheathed paws.

Pinestar laughed again, his black fur billowing in the wind. "So, do you surrender?"

"We will never surrender to you!" Glaciercloud hissed defiantly, and was immediately pushed down by Smudgepelt. Pinestar chuckled. "We can wait for you to make up your minds. Of course, you must be wondering how I became leader." He looked the other way. "Rockstar died of greencough."

A wail of grief from the cats was heard. It was Tanfeather. The cat holding her gave her a nip on the ear, silencing her.

Pinestar continued, looking like he was enjoying himself. "I went to the MoonCrystal yesterday and got my nine lives and name." He grinned. "Of course, that fool was telling the truth when he said he had no clue about the stealings of the prey." He nodded at Oakstar, who looked horror-struck. Pinestar leaned in, his blue eyes like chips of flint. "I had done it of course." He took on a sorrowful face. "My mate, Daisycloud, knew too much about all this. She wasn't supposed to know. She told our kits, Icekit and Gorsekit." He studied his claws for a moment. "They are now in StarClan."

"You killed them!? You killed your mate and innocent kits!?" Duskpaw shouted out. She struggled out of her captor's grasp and raced toward Pinestar, anger showing through her. "Murderer!"

Petalpaw caught her, sneering. "Gotcha, kitty!"

Pinestar smiled and addressed Petalpaw. "You will soon be a warrior. Skill like that is honored in my Clan. "

Petalpaw nodded and stood up straighter.

Pinestar turned around again. "So, do you surrender?"

There was silence. Sandypaw stared hard at Pinestar. He was ignoring her. She noticed that his grip on her had loosened. Maybe, just maybe, she could push him off and catch him by surprise...

Oakstar sighed and opened his mouth, "You give us no choice. Ye - "

"NO!" Sandypaw yowled. Kicking Pinestar off her, she knocked him to the ground. He lay sprawled in the dust, unconcious. That set the battle off again. The FireClan cats went at their rivals with a rage. CloudClan began to cower down. Pinestar suddenly awoke, saw the state his Clan was in, and shouted, "Retreat, CloudClan! Retreat!"

As they made an undignified scramble for the bramble thicket, Pinestar swiveled around and glared at the FireClan cats. "This isn't over!" With a sweep of his tail, he was gone. Sandypaw heaved a sigh of relief. Immediately, dizziness began to overwhelm her. She tottered around unsteadily. Duskpaw, her ear bleeding, bounced to her side. "Sandypaw, are you - ?"

Sandypaw didn't hear the rest. Blackness engulfed her as she hit the ground, blood flowing openly from her wounds.

_...Sand...Fire..._

"There, there now," meowed a soft voice. Sandypaw moaned as something was dabbed against her flank. She opened her eyes and peered at the cat. It was a glossy white she-cat with a long tail and long legs, who was pressing cobwebs on her wounds. Sandypaw could tell she was from FireClan, but had never seen her before.

"Who are you?" Sandypaw asked quizzicaly.

The cat looked up at her, her amber eyes glowing with pity. "I am Arcticwind, former medicine cat of FireClan."

"B - But you're dead!" Sandypaw stammered. Then it struck her. "I'm in StarClan again!" she wailed. Staggering to her paws, she saw that other cats had surrounded her. Flicking her tail, she called to them, "Why are you always bringing me here?!"

Firestar, Sparkflower, Starrycloud, and Sparrowstar emerged. Starrycloud smiled and meowed, "We had to. If you had been left there with your brother, Webclaw, no matter how talented he is, you would have died."

Sandypaw felt chills run up and down her back. Died? She couldn't bear to think about it.

"We also have something to tell you," Firestar spoke. Sandypaw looked at him and waited. For some strange reason, her neck fur bristled as the great leader meowed, "Friends from before will travel to you as they promised, but let medicine take the upper paw."

Sandypaw stared at him and said one word. "Huh?"

"All will be clear," Sparkflower mewed.

"Yes," Sparrowstar agreed. "You just have to keep your eyes open at all times. Even if they aren't your own eyes."

A ginger tom with a brown tail came rushing forward, knocking Sandypaw to the ground as he smiled happily. "Tell my sister that she must go to the OwlPine. She'll find something there."

"What?" Sandypaw asked curiously.

"Why would I tell you that?" Twigtail said indignantly. "That's for her to know." He leaned in. "And tell her that father is safe and happy here in StarClan."

"I will," Sandypaw meowed, nodding. Twigtail smiled. "You are so like me."

"I am?" Sandypaw didn't know _that._

"Yes. We're both cats!" Twigtail shouted, hooting with laughter at his own joke. He ducked a blow from Sparrowstar and meowed, "It's not my fault you're grouchy today!"

"Oh yes. It is," Sparrowstar snarled between gritted teeth. He turned to Sandypaw. "We will send you back now." And then he was gone, along with everyone else except Firestar. He smiled grimly at her, fire dancing in his eyes. "We have helped you, but next time you cannot be helped."

Suddenly, Sandypaw felt herself being sucked into the ground. "Help!" she cried. Firestar just smiled at her. Then StarClan was gone, and she was in a warm, sweet smelling place. Groaning, she stood up. Duskpaw jumped to her side, her ear swathed in cobwebs. "Sandypaw!"

Sandypaw ignored her and turned around to face Webclaw. She spoke, loudly and clearly in an urgent voice. "I need everyone except you, Webclaw, out of the den. Ask Oakstar or Flamefur to come here. _Now._"

Webclaw scenced the note of urgency in her voice. He ordered, "Alright, everyone out of the den. You too, Graypaw. Bloodpaw, fetch Oakstar and Flamefur."

Bloodpaw nodded. "Ok, medicine cat, sir! I have complete it of control, I mean, complete control of it. Don't you worry, Webby, I'll get Oakthingummy and Flamewhatisname, and then you can appoint me deputy. Oh, yes, deputy. I like the sound of that! So while I get Oakthingummy, does Dusksomething wanna come with my good self? 'Cause, y'know, I could lose complete it of control, I mean, complete control of it. Why do I keep doing that?"

Duskpaw leaned forward and bit his paw. "I don't know why you keep doing that, but if you don't stop talking nonsense or go right now, I swear, Bloodpaw, you will not want to look at me in the eye!"

Bloodpaw nodded smartly. "Oh, yes, Dusky, I'll do whatever you say." He padded off, his tail waving merrily.

As Sandypaw shooed Duskpaw outside, an image of Twigtail popped in her head. He was staring at Bloodpaw's retreating back and grinning that familiar grin. "He is so like me."

"Because you're both cats?" Sandypaw thought.

"Yes!" Twigtail shouted in her head. "How'd you know?"

Sandypaw shook her head, laughing, and Twigtail faded away.

_...Sand...Fire..._

"Friends from before will travel as they promised, but let medicine take the upper paw?" Oakstar questioned. "I don't understand."

Flamefur looked thoughtful. "Friends from before..." He looked at Sandypaw intently. "Have you ever met any cats not from FireClan?"

"No, I don't think so," Sandypaw meowed. "Well, there was that kittypet I ran into when Glaciercloud had taken me out for my first assessment, and then Rose and Night."

"Rose and Night!" Flamefur yowled, startling everyone. "You visited them before, and they promised that they would come see us!"

"Yes," Sandypaw mewed. "They were going into the Forest of Darkness."

Oakstar looked from one to the other. "Roses? Night? Forest of Darkness? What's this all about?"

"Long story," Sandypaw meowed hurriedly. "Medicine..." She gasped. "I know! They went into the Forest of Darkness!"

"You just said that," Webclaw pointed out.

"So a few moons ago they went into the Forest of Darkness," Sandypaw carried on excitedly. "That's the bad luck place! Medicine take the upper paw... I got it! They got out alive, but they're badly injured. So if they are going to visit us, we need to let medicine take the upper paw!" She shook her head, wondering why StarClan hadn't told her this sooner.

Flamefur smiled at her, and Sandypaw shivered from head to tail. "Great job!"

"Thank you," Sandypaw mewed, trying to hide the quiver of emotion in her voice.

Oakstar nodded. "Yes. I shall speak to your mentor about making you a warrior." Sandypaw's heart rose, but fell down again at her leader's next words. "Maybe in a few more moons from now, that should do the trick."

"Few more moons!?" Sandypaw yowled in disbelief. "I've been an apprentice long enough! In fact, I should have been a warrior long ago!"

Oakstar growled softly. "An apprentice that talks back to her leader is not respectful. Which is true in the case of a Half-Clan."

Webclaw and Flamefur immediately went up in her defence.

"If Sandypaw's a Half-Clan, I'm a Half-Clan, too. I am her brother."

"You shouldn't judge her just because of her mother. Or because you weren't close with Rockstar."

Oakstar flicked his tail. "Wise and true words, but I stand by what I say; an apprentice never talks back to its leader. Because of her impudence, I shall extend her waiting for a few more moons."

"That's not fair!" Sandypaw burst out without thinking.

Oakstar's eyes flared angrily. "A few more moons after that! Any more back talk?"

Sandypaw opened her mouth to say 'Yes', but Flamefur whispered, "Don't argue. Remember, he is not the same anymore. Nerves." Sandypaw relaxed, but glared at Oakstar. Who cared about nerves!? He had no right to do that! Well, actually he did, but still...!

Oakstar nodded. "Good. Just so you know, your friend Swipepaw will be buried in a while, and we have to make new apprentices... and warriors. Your friend Bloodpaw shall be among them." Sandypaw felt a pang at sleeping in the apprentice den without the cheery ginger apprentice by her side, but she did not show it. Nodding, she meowed flatly, "Yes, Oakstar."

She stalked out of the den and padded up to Duskpaw, telling her the unhappy news.

_...Sand...Fire..._

Sandypaw's anger disappeared after a while. She stood with all the rest of FireClan, staring at the limp body of Swipepaw. As Halfear and Pawflower, the elders, picked the light brown body, Sandypaw rushed out in front of them, blocking their way to the ferns. "No," she stated, restraining a sob. "He should be buried in the clearing, near the stars."

Halfear glared at her suspiciously. Sandypaw added, "That's what he asked of me before he died." She bowed her head as she waited for their answer.

Pawflower smiled at Sandypaw, then looked at her mate. "Do as she says, Halfear."

Halfear grunted and began. Everyone turned away from the pair as Oakstar yowled out, "Swipepaw was killed today, as you can see. The cats who are to blame..." He paused. "CloudClan!"

"Actually, Pouncefoot," Sandypaw snarled, remembering how Pouncefoot had mercilessly killed her friend. "I saw. It is he that is responsible for my friend's death!"

Oakstar nodded. "Yes, yes, Pouncefoot, but now, in this time of trouble, we must make kits into apprentices, apprentices into warriors. Forestkit, Grasskit, Flowerkit, and Leopardkit, come here."

They did as they were bidden.

"Forestkit!"

Forestkit bounced eagerly to his leader, jumping up and down in excitement.

"From this day until you have recieved your warrior name, you shall be known as Forestpaw," Oakstar continued. "Your mentor will be Bearfoot."

Bearfoot padded forward, surprise shining from his eyes. Obviously, he had not expected this.

"Bearfoot, you were a great mentor to Swipepaw, who has now parted from us. Pass on all you can to this young apprentice."

Bearfoot looked down at the brown tom, purring. "Don't worry, I will."

"Grasskit!"

Grasskit moved forard, his eyes shining.

"From now on, you shall be known as Grasspaw. Your mentor will be Thrushpelt. Thrushpelt, pass on your skill and intelligence to Grasspaw."

"You can count on me!" Thrushpelt meowed defiantly. "I'll make a warrior of this apprentice!"

Oakstar nodded his approval. "Flowerkit!"

Flowerkit padded forward slowly, her head and tail held high. She looked at Oakstar with shining blue eyes. "I am ready."

"From now on, this kit will be known as Flowerpaw," Oakstar meowed, chuckling. "Her mentor will be Sprucefoot. Sprucefoot, pass on your bravery and skill to Flowerpaw."

Sprucefoot smiled and cuffed Flowerkit lightly over the ears. "Of course I will, Oakstar!"

"And Leopardkit!"

Leopardkit jumped to his side in one leap, almost knocking him down. Picking himself up, Oakstar meowed, "From now on, this apprentice shall be known as Leopardpaw. Lightningfur, you will be her mentor. I expect that you will pass on your wisdom, bravery, and battle skills to this young apprentice."

"I will do it, even if I die trying," Lightningfur vowed, winking at Flamefur, his best friend.

"Forestpaw! Grasspaw! Leopardpaw! Flowerpaw!" the Clan chanted. Sandypaw was by far the loudest as she cheered for her younger nieces and nephews. They raced over to her, knocking her down as they squealed, "We're apprentices, Sandypaw! We're apprentices!"

"And now, I have warriors to make," Oakstar meowed, looking at the new apprentices with amusement. He flicked his tail, and Bloodpaw, Frailpaw, Swirlpaw, Whisperpaw walked up to meet him. Sandypaw hissed when Ravenpaw swaggered up beside Rockstar, sneering mockingly in Sandypaw's direction.

Oakstar raised his head. "I, Oakstar, leader of FireClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these five apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He turned around and faced the five evenly. "Bloodpaw, Frailpaw, Swirlpaw, Whisperpaw, and Ravenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"Lemme think," Bloodpaw meowed, flattening his ears thoughtfully. Then his eyes popped open. "Of course I do!"

Swirlpaw giggled and meowed, "I do."

"I do also," Frailpaw answered confidently, her tail twitching with anticipation.

"I do too," Whisperpaw murmered, her voice like a whisper on a breeze.

"So do I," Ravenpaw snarled, grinning at Sandypaw.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Ravenpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Ravenwhisker. StarClan honors your bravery and courage, and we welcome you as a warrior of FireClan." Oakstar rested his muzzle on Ravenwhisker's head. Ravenwhisker gave his shoulder a respectful lick and padded off the HighBoulder.

"Whisperpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Whisperwing. StarClan honors your cunning and skill, and we welcome you as a warrior of FireClan."

Whisperwing did the same as Ravenwhisker, then went to stand by Frecklecloud.

"Frailpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Frailwing. StarClan honors your bravery and your skill, and we welcome you as a warrior of FireClan."

Frailpaw licked his shoulder and went to stand beside Ravenwhisker, purring as he nuzzled her affectionately.

"Swirlpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Swirlstream. StarClan honors your beauty and courage, and we welcome you as a warrior of FireClan."

"I'll do my best, but I'd rather be a queen," Swirlstream meowed, looking playfully in Blazefur's direction, who kneaded his paws eagerly against the ground.

"Bloodpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Bloodfeather. StarClan honors your strength and bravery, and we welcome you as a warrior of FireClan."

Bloodfeather licked his leader's shoulder respectively, then went to sit by Sandypaw and Duskpaw. The Clan chanted their names, Sandypaw and Duskpaw happily yelling for Bloodfeather.

"Ravenwhisker! Whisperwing! Frailwing! Swirlstream! Bloodfeather!"

Bloodfeather looked apologetically at Sandypaw. "Sorry you couldn't be a warrior beside me. Or Duskpaw."

Sandypaw purred and cuffed him over the ears. "Mousebrain, forget about us, just enjoy yourself."

Her eyes narrowed as Ravenwhisker and Frailwing padded over to them. Ravenwhisker smirked. "I see you're still an apprentice, Sandypaw. Did you notice that I'm a warrior? I'm gonna be sleeping in the warriors den soon."

"Ravenwhisker!" Frailwing meowed sternly. "Stop talking like that!"

"Sorry, Frailwing," Ravenwhisker meowed. "I couldn't resist. Now, you just go in the two places that aren't fillecd with the stench of Half-Clan. The warriors den and the nursery." He paused and twined his tail with hers. "Nursery first." Frailwing pushed him away playfully. "You can't boss me around, Ravenwhisker! I'm a warrior!" She turned to Sandypaw as the black tom walked away. "Sorry about that. He doesn't seem to like you that much."

"Are you kidding me?" Bloodfeather asked, looking at her in disbelief. "He doesn't seem to like her _a lot!_"

"I heard you saying something about the nursery?" Sandypaw asked politely.

"Oh, yes," Frailwing purred. "I'm hoping that soon I might be able to have kits with Ravenwhisker."

"Whoop dee doo," Sandypaw mewed flatly.

"You're thinking about that already!?" Bloodfeather yowled. "You just became a warrior!"

"Look at Swirlstream." Frailwing flicked her tail in the silver she-cat's direction. Swirlstream was walking off into the bushes, her tail twined with Blazefur's. "She just became a warrior too."

"Well, ok, I'll accept that," Bloodfeather meowed after staring for a bit.

Sandypaw thought of something suddenly. "I have to go," she meowed quickly.

"Wha - " Duskpaw meowed in confusion, uttering her first word since the conversation had begun.

Sandypaw hurried away, her heart pounding. Why did she have a strange feeling that something was about to happen? Racing over to Glaciercloud's side, she meowed, "Glaciercloud, can you come with me?"

"Where?"

"I have to check our territory."

"And why?"

"I don't really know. But I have to!"

Glaciercloud flicked her tail. "Well, alright. Come."

As Sandypaw walked through the bramble thicket, instinct told her to head for Falling Cliffs. She shivered. She would have gone in a Twoleg nest as long as it kept her away from Falling Cliffs, but she had to go there. Why she had to, though, she had no clue...

As they approached Falling Cliffs, Glaciercloud stopped. "Are you sure you want to go out there?"

Sandypaw didn't hear her. A moan had just come from behind a bush. Cautiously, Sandypaw parted the leaves and gasped in horror. It was Rose and Night. And Night was bleeding... badly.

Rose saw her and yowled helplessly, "Sandypaw, Night's hurt! We have to get him to your Clan, or else he'll die!"

Sandypaw gave her a brisk nod, then grabbed Night's scruff and began pulling him out of the rustling bushes. Rose followed, carrying Night's tail so that it didn't drag on the ground. She was obviously worried.

Glaciercloud stared in stunned awe as Sandypaw came dragging Night. "Sandypaw! Where - ? Who - ?"

"No time to explain," Sandypaw meowed. "We have to get back to the camp. Fast."

_...Sand...Fire..._

Webclaw pressed cobwebs onto a long, hideous scratch on Night's back. He called out brisk orders to Graypaw. "Graypaw, get some more cobwebs. He's still bleeding."

As Graypaw rushed off, Rose begged, "Please, I want to help too!"

Webclaw looked at her sternly. "Not now." He turned his head back to Night.

"Will he live?" Sandypaw asked.

"Yes," Webclaw meowed, but he didn't look that confident.

Graypaw returned with a big wad of cobwebs in her mouth. "Here you go, Webclaw. This is all there is."

"Let's hope it's enough," Webclaw sighed, and continued his work. Sandypaw nudged Rose. "Worrying will do you no good. Night wouldn't want that. Let's go outside and you can tell me what happened."

Rose padded outside willingly and sat down in the dust. Her light brown fur waved wildly in the breeze as she told Sandypaw the story. "Well, you remember how we told you the day you came that we were going into the Forest of Darkness? At first, we couldn't, because some Twoleg trapped us inside their nests for awhile, probably a moon or so, but later about that. Anyways, we went, and it was horrible! Darkness everywhere, and trees - Scary trees, with branches that looked like they were about to grab us! I remember how Night told me that we were close to those evil cats. We could hear them yowling. And then I stepped on a twig, and everything went quiet. That's when we saw the red eyes!"

Sandypaw's neck fur rose. Red eyes? _The cat with the red eyes..._

Rose continued. "Night told me not to move, so I stayed still. And then, they were everywhere! Huge cats, with long fangs!" She wrinkled her nose. "Not to mention their smell! Well, this big black cat with horrible gray eyes, he jumped onto Night and - and - " She shuddered. "You know what happened. Anyways, it was terrifying. They cornered us. And then a dark shadow, darker than that entire forest, fell upon us. The cats hissed at us and then left. But while we left, those red eyes were watching us the whole time..." She broke down sobbing again. Sandypaw comforted her. "There, there, Rose. It's all right. Night will get better. Meanwhile, maybe you should visit Flamefur."

Rose sniffed. "Flamefur? Oh, yes, that's right. I almost forgot." She meowed a good bye, then left. Sandypaw watched her go. Her heart ached for the pretty she-cat, but for now, there was nothing she could do.

There was a snuffle from behind her, and then Weedpaw was at her side, sniffing. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing. That's a bit sad, you know?"

"Yes, I know."

Weedpaw flicked his tail, gazing at her through sorrowful green eyes. "I Remember the day that CloudClan cat, Antpaw, I think that was what her name was, attacked me - "

"Applepaw," Sandypaw meowed helpfully.

"Whatever," Weedpaw mewed. "Anyways, I did see a cat with red eyes. It was hard to see him. But I do know he was orange. Very orange. Almost as orange as Flamefur. They could be brothers. Eccept for the red eyes. They were really red. And his fur was orange as Flamefur's. Very orange. They could be - "

"You're repeating yourself," Sandypaw pointed out.

"Whoops. Oh well. Anyhow, like I was saying, he had this vile stench. Blech!" He pulled wry face. "Disgusting! I felt like retching. It was horrible! Disgusting! Smelly! Vile! Evil - !"

"I get it," Sandypaw meowed.

"Good. Well, that's about all I know." Weedpaw sat down and began to groom himself.

"Are you sure?" Sandypaw asked.

"Yeah - Well, there was one other thing." Weedpaw stopped between mid-lick. "There was this big black tom with gray eyes, some gray tabby she-cat, and a white cat."

"She-cat or tom?"

"Dunno." Weedpaw shrugged. "I was kinda getting my face battered by a red-eyed cat, so I didn't really notice, if you get my drift."

Sandypaw nodded pityingly, managing to keep her face straight without bursting into laughter. "Of course I get your drift, dear Weedpaw. I can see how much you were tormented by those nasty cats, wailing and crying for help."

"Thanks," Weedpaw meowed. There was a brief silence. Then Weedpaw yowled, "I wasn't wailing for help!!!"

Sandypaw giggled. "Of course not. You were begging for help!"

Weedpaw growled playfully and leapt on her, and they rolled around the camp, laughing happily as they battered each other with sheathed paws. They were stopped as Sandypaw hit her head against something hard. Stars and bright lights burst around her, and she got up, stumbled, and fell down again. Weedpaw laughed. Sandypaw's mind finally cleared, and she laughed along with Weedpaw, until a voice that she knew very well meowed, "Hello, Half-Clan."

Sandypaw looked up at Snowyfeather. "Greetings."

Snowyfeather's eyes were as cold as the winds of Leaf-Bare. "Making friends? Enjoying yourself?"

Sandypaw did not answer, but just stared at Snowyfeather, green eyes meeting ice-cold blue ones. "What do you want, Snowyfeather?"

Snowyfeather sneered. "I want you to leave FireClan. But, as that will never happen..." She thrust her face in Sandypaw's own face, eyes glinting with hatred. "I want you to go patrol near the OwlPine."

Sandypaw didn't budge. "With whom?"

Snowyfeather shrugged carelessly. "Anyone, for all I care. Maybe one of your traitor friends." Here, she stopped and stared at Weedpaw, who hissed softly.

"Why should I go?" Sandypaw asked. "You aren't leader nor deputy."

"Flamefur's orders," Snowyfeather snarled. "He's the deputy. I don't know why he even bothers with some mousebrained Half-Clan, anyways. He seems to think that you'll be a great warrior." She spat contemptuously.

Sandypaw did not trust Snowyfeather, but she did trust Flamefur, and the fact that Flamefur thought she would be a great warrior made her heart flutter with excitement. So Flamefur wanted her to patrol near the OwlPine, then that was fine with her. "Ok."

"Good, good," Snowyfeather meowed, rolling her eyes. She looked pointedly at Sandypaw. "Also, I am sorry for the death of your friend, Swipepaw. Then again, it was probably StarClan's punishment to him, as he befriended a Half-Clan. I can see why they would do that to a traitor!"

Sandypaw growled, her neck fur rising. Before she could move, though, Weedpaw had pushed her out of the white she-cat's way. "Yeah, well, thanks and all that stuff, but we'll be leaving now. See ya' and toodleoo!"

Once they were out of Snowyfeather's hearing range, Sandypaw growled, "I don't trust her."

"Yeah, well, if you said you did, then snails would go faster, eh?" Bloodfeather ambled up to her side, with Duskpaw following a few paw lengths behind him. "I always say that if you don't like somebody, shove some mousebile in their faces."

Sandypaw smiled. "Thanks, I'll do that."

Duskpaw spoke. "You want me to come with you on that patrol?"

Sandypaw nodded just as Bloodfeather volunteered to go too. Sandypaw shook her head. "Don't you have to stand guard near the bramble thicket?"

Bloodfeather mewed, "We do that during the night. There's no reason for me not to go with you."

Somewhere near the warriors den, they heard Sprucefoot holler, "Bloodfeather! You've rolled in my nest and messed it all up, you mousebrain!"

Bloodfeather pulled a face. "Never mind. Ah well. Always another day, I always say."

Weedpaw piped up. "I'll come with you. Anything for a chum of mine."

Sandypaw nodded. "Thank you greatly." They waved their tails in farewell to Bloodfeather, but just as they were heading out of the camp, Graypaw stopped them. "Wherever you're going, could you get some tansy and watermint? We're running out." She jumped up and down excitedly. "Oh, yes, and tonight I'll be getting my medicine cat name! Finally! I can't wait!"

"I'm sure you can't," Duskpaw and Sandypaw said at the same time.

They waved, then went into the forest. Leaves crunched under their paws as they padded to the OwlTree. Sandypaw sniffed around. Red splotches were almost everywhere in this area of the forest, sticky and wet. Obviously CloudClan had passed this way after retreating. Sandypaw shook her head. What had made them attack FireClan anyway? FireClan had done no harm to them.

Weedpaw nodded in the northern direction. "There it is."

The OwlPine stood in front of them, towering way above them. It's branches sagged near the ground, and leaves were falling down to the dusty forest floor. Duskpaw sniffed. "That's a sure sign that LeafFall's almost here." A mischievious smile spread across her face. "Then we can roll around in the leaves like tiny little kits!"

Sandypaw laughed at the thought, imagining Duskpaw rolling on the ground with leaves whooshing into the air and splattering all over any unlucky cat who got in their way. Then she remembered vividly how she had almost been caught by a talking fox near the OwlPine, and she shuddered. "Not in these leaves, though. Come on, let's just take a quick look and then leave."

Weedpaw meowed, "I'll go look for those herbs Graypaw asked us to get."

"I'll go with you," Duskpaw meowed right away. Sandypaw nodded at them. "I'll peep around here."

As they left, Sandypaw breathed in the soft, cool air, closing her eyes. Then her eyelids popped open and she moved her head wildly about. A leaf crackled to her left. Sandypaw jumped behind a bush out of view and hid there, holding her breath.

An annoyed hiss sounded angrily. "She got away!"

A black tom moved into view, with a gray tabby she-cat right behind him. The she-cat growled. "Yes, I noticed that, tramplepaws. With all your clumsiness you scared her!"

The black cat snarled and prepared to pounce on the gray cat, but a cold voice stopped him. "Arguing, I see?"

A ginger tom strode into view. Sandypaw could barely restrain a gasp of shock. The tom had a fiery orange coat, with darker ginger stripes all around him. He had a white tail tip, and long, pointy claws, which glistened like steel in the sunlight. But what had shocked Sandypaw the most was that this was the cat she had heard about. His eyes were blood red, strangely lit up as he glared at the sunlight. Sandypaw shuddered to think what he might look like in the darkness.

The black tom stood up, glaring at the tabby she-cat. "It was Frost's fault! She never pays attention!"

Frost was rightly named. Her blue eyes glittered angrily like ice. "Speak for yourself, slobberywhiskers! You scared that dumb kitty cat away!"

The red eyed cat held up a paw and smiled, showing his fangs in a grin. "No arguments."

The two other cats cowered under the ginger tom's gaze. He was obviously their leader.

The ginger tom's claws swiped a kittenstep away from the black cat, grazing the edges of his whiskers in the process. "One day this whole forest will be ours and ours alone. When that happens, if you even start shouting at each other, I'll make sure you won't bicker again!" He wasn't joking by the look in his red eyes. "For now, until that time comes, we shall have to hurt or kill any cat from those wierd groups. Teach them a lesson."

The other two nodded in agreement. "Oh, yes, teach them a lesson."

From behind her bush, Sandypaw began backing away. _Time for me to leave, _she thought. And then she stepped on a thorn. She gasped loudly, then crouched down. The three cats had stopped talking and were now looking around. Sandypaw held her breath, hoping they might not notice her and continue talking, but then the ginger tom looked her way. Sandypaw looked down frightfully. He couldn't see her, she knew, but still...

Looking up again, Sandypaw felt like letting out a wail of horror. The cats were creeping closer to her, eyes narrowed, their claws unsheathed. They were ready to kill.

* * *

**CLIFFIE! Omigosh, I just used a cliffie. This...is...so...COOL! That's the first time I ever used a cliffie! I LOVE IT!**

**We finally saw the cat with red eyes! Wonder what his name is...**

**Poor Night and Rose...**

**Poor Swipepaw! (cries loudly) Sorry I had to kill him. But I had to so that Forestpaw could be Bearfoot's apprentice. (shrugs) But that isn't the last of him!**

**This is great! Bloodfeather's a warrior! I feel sorry for Sandypaw, though...**

**Ok, I'm giving out two plushies. Why? I don't know, I just want to. Ok, if you review you can get a Swipepaw plushie (cries again) and a Weedpaw plushie. Wait, did I already give that out? Hmm. Well, if I did, then an Arcticwind plushie, since she saved Sandypaw's life. **

**Oh yeah, I know I said in the last chapter that Duskpaw was going to do something to Cloverwing to avenge her real mother, but I kinda forgot, so that'll be in the next chapter. So, review please! I didn't get that much on the last chapter! Review, because I know a lot of you check this story! It says it on the hits! Review! I already said that. Oh well. Review!**


	13. Chapter 11

**Hi, everyone! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I got **_**soooo**_** much more reviews than the last time! I now have 70 reviews! Tell you what: If I get 100 reviews, then I'll give out Sandypaw and Flamefur plushies with tails entwined! And you can tell me what you want to happen in the story, and if I like it, it will go into one of the chapters! So, keep reviewing everyone! Now for my answers.**

**Redtail's Love - Grassfeather - Sandypaw's warrior name will come a few long moons after that. Probably 12 moons after that. Or somewhere close to that.**

**ThrushflightEdward'sStalker - Snowyfeather's been in the hospital 6 times!?!?!?!?!? Wow. You must have been very violent to that voodoo doll. (looks at the tattered white voodoo doll) Great StarClan! I don't want to meet you in a fight!**

**Waterfall - I know, Snowyfeather was so mean to Streamkit. That is bad! B-A-D BAD!!!! (starts hyperventalating) Sorry.**

**Sleets - Gosh, you reviewed a lot. If I made Snowfeather Duskpaw's mentor, the world would end. Well, not really, but I'll just say it would.**

**Ravenwhisker and Duskpaw!?!?!?!? You're kidding!!!!! (pauses) Sorry. I get excited. Yup, that's so a crack pairing. Anyways, her name is Sandy**_**paw **_**not Sandykit. I'm sure you meant no offense though. But Flamefur isn't much older than Sandypaw. When she was born, he was still three moons old. She just became an apprentice realllllllly late. Because of her Half-Clan heritage. But you'll learn about that later.**

**She's some mother, alright. I know I've said this a lot, but can you imagine! A mother kicking her own kit and calling her a traitor! ARGHHHH!!!!!**

**x.TawnypawKittyCat.x - YAY! You checked out my story! Thanks! And thanks for complimenting me! (huggles)**

**I laughed really hard at your second review. No offense, I strangely found it funny. For some reason. Well, you see, when Sandypaw woke up, she woke up late. Really late. I don't know why I said morning sunlight, I should have said afternoon sunlight. Oh well. So after she went to the the medicine den, that took a long time because I didn't show the few parts before it, so by that time it was night. And she was really exhausted so she just went to bed early. (nods) Yup, that's what it is. Sorry if I got you confused.**

**Well, Flamefur likes Snowyfeather because they really liked each other when they were kits. I'll show you a preview of this story I'm making, called **_**The Secrets of My Clans. **_**It shows how that started. **

**A golden tom came out of the bushes... yep, if it means what I think it means, then it means what you think it means. Does that make sense?**

(read the words in bold print at the top and bottom too. Please!) 

Sandypaw crouched down as low as she could, looking around her in wild desperation. Bushes surrounded her, and behind her, the OwlPine stood tall and unmoving, its long roots preventing her from escaping. She was trapped.

She could see the ginger cat ahead of the other two, his eyes burning like the sun. His claws glinted in the sunlight as he began to part the bushes.

"Sandypaw! Sandypaw! Will you come out!? We aren't playing hide and seek!"

The red-eyed tom raised his head swiftly at the sound of Duskpaw's voice. He growled to the other two cats, "Run for it!" They made an undignified scramble towards the underbrush and disappeared.

Sandypaw padded out of her hiding place, shivering. Weedpaw and Duskpaw leapt out to her side, panting.

"Where were you?" Weedpaw asked.

"Yeah! Is this a talent of yours? Disappearing? Because you seem to do that a lot!" Duskpaw meowed. And then she saw that Sandypaw was quivering. "What's wrong?"

Sandypaw took a deep breath, relaxing. "We have to get back to the Clan, tell them what just happened."

"Ok, but what _did _just happen?" Weedpaw asked.

"I'll tell you on the way," Sandypaw meowed, flicking her tail. "Come on."

_...Sand...Fire..._

Sandypaw, Duskpaw, and Weedpaw ran into the camp, panting. They ran past a hot tempered looking Ravenwhisker, a surprised Snowyfeather, a comical looking Bloodfeather, and Silverpaw running around the camp with a wierd look on his face, chasing a spider. Huh? Sandypaw, Duskpaw, and Weedpaw backed up and stared at Silverpaw. A few seconds after that, Silverpaw screeched as the spider bit him. The three winced, looked at each other, and continued running.

They ran right past Fogpelt and Cloverwing. Fogpelt stopped them, looking startled. "Woah, woah! Where are you three going?"

"To Oakstar's d - " Sandypaw began.

"It's none of your business," Duskpaw inturrupted. Although she talked politely to her father, she glared hatred at Cloverwing.

Cloverwing smiled at the threesome, talking to all of them but staring at Duskpaw. "Well, if you're going to Oakstar's den, please tell him that Fogpelt and I are going out to patrol."

Duskpaw rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. You're going to patrol. That's the lamest excuse ever."

"What do you mean?" Cloverwing asked calmly.

"I mean that you and Fogpelt are going to _mate_, not patrol!" Duskpaw accused. "M-A-T-E mate!"

"Duskpaw!" Fogpelt meowed, looking horrified.

Cloverwing silenced Fogpelt with a look, then turned to Duskpaw, her clover colored eyes patiently meeting Duskpaw's own blue ones. "Duskpaw, I know you don't like me, but you could learn - "

"Learn? I don't want to learn, if you haven't noticed!" Duskpaw spat, flattening her ears back. "You aren't my mother, no matter how hard you try! And if you think you are, then you're wrong! So stop pretending and just leave my father alone!"

Sandypaw watched Cloverwing's eyes harden, something that rarely happened. "Duskpaw," Cloverwing snapped. "Don't order me around!"

"You do!" Duskpaw countered, pushing her nose in Cloverwing's face.

"I'm a warrior!" Cloverwing snarled.

Fogpelt pushed his way between them. "Cloverwing, Duskpaw! Please!"

Duskpaw's tail twitched. "I can't believe you betrayed Sparkflower!" she yowled at her father. "If it had been me I would have stayed loyal to her, even though she's dead!"

Fogpelt flattened his ears on his head, looking guilty.

Cloverwing hissed, "Don't blame your father!"

Duskpaw looked thoughtful. "For once, you're right. I should blame you!"

"Stop fighting this instant!"

Flamefur walked to them, his eyes flashing. "Cloverwing, Duskpaw, I am very disappointed in you both. Cloverwing, you're a fully grown warrior. You should know better." He swiveled around to face Duskpaw. "And you, Duskpaw, you are a talented young apprentice. You both know the warrior code."

Duskpaw and Cloverwing dipped their heads. "Sorry, Flamefur."

Flamefur meowed, "Sorry catches no prey. From now on, Cloverwing, Duskpaw, you're both refined to the camp for one moon. You shall clean the elders bedding and pick off their ticks."

Duskpaw and Cloverwing made a face. "Ew!"

Flamefur nodded. "I am sorry, but there has to be consequences." He padded away into the leader's den.

Fogpelt padded to Cloverwing's side and licked her cheek tenderly. "Guess we can't go on patrol anymore, huh?"

"I guess not," Cloverwing meowed and walked away, her tail drooping in the dust.

Fogpelt watched her go, then rounded on Duskpaw. "Duskpaw, what have you done!?"

Duskpaw glared at him. "I did what was right! This is what I think, father! If you still love Sparkflower, you would stay loyal to her and never take a mate! Sandypaw always told me that you loved her very much and kept saying that you two would be mates for life. Then Cloverwing came along. You fell in love with her. So if you're mates for life with Sparkflower, then what happened? You betrayed her!"

"She's right, father," meowed Deeppaw, Duskpaw's brother, padding up to Duskpaw's side and standing beside her. "Mates for life stay mates for life. They never take different mates."

Fogpelt opened his mouth, but no words came out. He nodded sadly at them, then walked away.

As Sandypaw padded up to Duskpaw, she saw the silver apprentice's mouth fall open. Duskpaw stared in horror at nothing. "What have I done?"

"You just broke apart Cloverwing and Fogpelt," Sandypaw answered for her.

Duskpaw shook her head. "I feel horrible!" She turned sad eyes upon her friend. "I've always wanted this. But now..." She sighed. "I broke my father's heart. Cloverwing hates me. I've ruined everything." She turned away, sniffling. "I'll bet Sparkflower hates me too."

"No she doesn't," Sandypaw meowed, padding up to Duskpaw's side. "Sparkflower probably understands how you feel. She knows you're guilty. Remember, you always have second chances."

"That's the thing," Duskpaw wailed. "I feel horrible but I don't want to apologize!"

Sandypaw shook her head, chuckling while remembering how Duskpaw and Cloverwing had made the exact same faces when Flamefur told them to pick ticks off of the elders. "Duskpaw, you don't know it, but you and Cloverwing are very much alike."

"We are?" Duskpaw asked, raising her head in disbelief. "I can't see how that could happen."

"Well, you are," Sandypaw answered. "But don't feel bad. What you said was entirely true. Still..."

Duskpaw sighed again. "I'll think about it, Sandypaw. Don't mention anything to me again. I'll talk when the time is right."

Sandypaw nodded, then remembered something. "I have to tell Oakstar about that... thing."

Duskpaw waved her tail. "Go ahead, I'm not stopping you. I'll just lay down here and ponder over my life. Weedpaw left already, so you'll have to go by yourself. Sorry. Good luck!"

Sandypaw nodded again and turned to Oakstar's den. Taking a deep breath, she padded inside.

In a corner of the cave, Oakstar was talking to Flamefur. "What was it again, Flamefur?"

Flamefur meowed, "Sparrowstar said that a grain of sand can be thrown into a burning flame, and they can become one. Snow will come between them, but in the end they shall conect once more."

Oakstar looked puzzled. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I, Oakstar," Flamefur meowed. He hanged the subject. "Remember the last prophecy? I figured that maybe fire, air, water, and clouds referred to the four Clans."

Oakstar mumbled the first part of the prophecy. "Snow will rise and tower above fire, air, water, and clouds..." He looked up. "Yes, I see what you mean, but snow will rise? Does that mean that there will be a snowstorm? And what is the sand that wipes it away? Is it a sand storm?"

Flamefur chuckled. "Sand storm... reminds me of the she-cat from the legendary Clans." His face became serious again. "Oakstar, I don't know the answers to those questions. StarClan does, not I. Only time will tell us."

Sandypaw cleared her throat. Flamefur and Oakstar swiveled around. Flamefur flicked his tail. "Come in, come in."

Sandypaw padded forward and sat down beside Flamefur. She looked at Oakstar and meowed, "I saw something today that I think you should know about."

Flamefur stood, his fur brushing against Sandypaw's flank. Sandypaw flinched and closed her eyes tightly. Flamefur looked awkward for a moment, then meowed steadily, "What is it, Sandypaw?"

Sandypaw told them about the cat with red eyes and the two other cats, staring at Oakstar the whole time and trying her best not to let her gaze wander to Flamefur. When she was done, Oakstar rasped, "I see. This is not good. Flamefur, you must tell the Clan about this."

Flamefur nodded. "Yes, Oakstar." He meowed to Sandypaw, "Come with me."

Sandypaw walked outside beside Flamefur, not looking at him but staring at the ground. Then, trying to make some conversation, she mewed, "It's a beautiful day today." _Mousebrain! _Sandypaw scolded herself._ That's so stupid of you! What are you talking about the day for!?_

Flamefur nodded. "Yes, it's a beautiful day."

As he spoke, Streamkit ran past him, her eyes alight. Behind her, Pigeonkit and Crystalkit ran, trying to keep up with their sister. Streamkit laughed. "Can't catch me!" Her cry turned into a mewl of shock as she bumped into the fresh-kill pile, knocking the fresh-kill everywhere. Ravenwhisker, who was eating a mouse, leapt up, his fur bristling. "You stupid kit, what are you doing!?" he hissed. Streamkit shrunk down to the ground. "I didn't mean to, Ravenwhisker, honest I didn't..."

Groans came from more of the cats. Scrawnyfur growled, "I was hoping not to be disturbed, but _nooo_, some kit had to come barging in!"

Willowheart snarled, "Cedarfur and I just arranged that pile!"

"Enough!" Flamefur's strong voice boomed out. He pelted over to Streamkit and licked her gently. "It's all right, Streamkit." He raised his head and glared at the complaining cats. "Stop whining! She said she didn't mean to! And any cat with eyes can see that she and her siblings were just playing a game of chase!"

Clawfur muttered, "He's just saying that because she's his daughter."

Flamefur looked up, his eyes blazing with a fire none had ever seen, which made them all cower down. "She's an innocent kit! You cats should know that by now. No matter what she did, she is still part of the Clan. That goes for Half-Clans too!"

Sandypaw's tail curled with pleasure. At least he had said something about her!

Everyone murmered, "Yes, Flamefur."

"And while I am here," Flamefur said, relaxing, "Sandypaw has told me that there is a strange red-eyed cat in our territory with maybe a few others. Keep an I out for them when on patrol."

Once again, there was another 'yes, Flamefur', and then everyone went about their duties. Flamefur looked fondly at Streamkit. "That was some fast running there."

"Yeah, she could be in AirClan!" Crystalkit piped up from behind Sandypaw's back.

"And we could be in FireClan!" Pigeonkit meowed. "Which we are, but still!"

Sandypaw laughed, nudging him. "Silly kit! You go run and play now!"

Pigeonkit, Crystalkit, and Streamkit mewled in joy, and ran off. Sandypaw chuckled, but she didn't look at Flamefur. She wished she could, but if she looked at him he might see her love for him in her eyes.

Flamefur stared at her with unblinking eyes. "Sandypaw?"

"Yes?" Sandypaw asked politely.

"Is there something you wish to tell me?"

Sandypaw finally looked up at him, doing her best to make her face seem blank. "No, Flamefur. Why do you ask?"

Flamefur shrugged. "I don't know. You just seem different when I look at you."

"Oh. Well, er, I don't really, um, feel any, uh, different," Sandypaw stammered, lowering her head ans scolding herself. Again. _Mousebrain! You're so stupid!_

Flamefur looked a bit unconvinced. "Ok, then." He flicked his tail. "If you do have something to tell me, don't be afraid to." As he padded away, Sandypaw murmered quietly, "Oh, Flamefur, I do wish I could tell you!"

_...Sand...Fire..._

Sandypaw placed her head on her paws and stared at the sky. She nibbled on her vole absentmindedly, thinking. Graypaw and Webclaw had gone to the MoonCrystal so that Graypaw could get her full name. It seemed like moons had passed, and still they hadn't come back. Nearby, Tanfeather was pacing back and forth, mumbling, "I hope nothing happened to them!"

Sandypaw looked at her and rested her tail on her mother's shoulder. "Don't worry, mother. Webclaw knows what he's doing. And no cat would dare attack a medicine cat!"

"I just can't help it," Tanfeather sighed. "I don't want any of my kits to die or get badly hurt."

"We can take care of ourselves," Sandypaw reassured her.

Willowheart spat in their direction. "Yeah, you can take care of yourself, as much as a baby rabbit can!"

"Who asked you!?" Sandypaw and Tanfeather hissed at the same time.

"No fighting," Dewfeather meowed, coming between the arguing cats. "This isn't the time to argue amongst ourselves."

Willowheart snorted and stalked into the warriors den. Sandypaw's gaze drifted down to Dewfeather's belly. She looked plump. Very plump. Almost as if she was...

"Dewfeather, are you preganant?" Sandypaw asked.

Dewfeather nodded happily, beaming. "Yes! I can't wait until my kits are born!"

"Who's the father?" Tanfeather asked.

"Oh, um, well, uh - " Dewfeather meowed uncertainly.

Sandypaw's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The last time she had seen anyone so hesitant was Goldenpelt. And Goldenpelt had mated with a cat from a different Clan. So...

Sandypaw stared at Dewfeather. Dewfeather saw her look and turned away. Sandypaw stood up and mewed for her to follow her behind the bushes. Surprisingly, Dewfeather did. Sandypaw lowered her voice and whispered, "Dewfeather, don't hide it from me. You mated with a cat from a different Clan, didn't you?"

Dewfeather's tail drooped. "Yes. But they'll find out, they will, I just know it!" She looked urgently at Sandypaw. "You won't tell anyone?"

"I swear by StarClan," Sandypaw promised.

Dewfeather nodded. Then she chuckled humorlessly. "Hmph. I can't believe it."

"What?"

"I'm actually trusting a Half-Clan to keep a secret," Dewfeather meowed, looking at her. "That's wierd."

Sandypaw's fur began to rise. "Hey - "

Dewfeather laughed. "No offense, Sandypaw."

Sandypaw relaxed again.

Somewhere nearby, yowls of welcome sounded. Sandypaw stood up. "That'll be Webclaw and Graypaw, I'll bet. I mean, Webclaw and Graysomething. Let's go meet them."

_...Sand...Fire..._

Sandypaw pranced over to Graypaw - or Graysomething. "Hey, Graypaw! I mean, whatever your name is..."

Graypaw swished her tail. "Grayflower. Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful," Sandypaw meowed, smiling warmly.

"Grayflower, eh?" Bloodfeather padded up to them and put on a comically sad face. "Imagine," he meowed tearfully, adding a couple of sniffles. "Our Graypaw has grown up!" He bent down, sounding like he was weeping.

Grayflower pushed him playfully flat onto his face. "It's Grayflower, not Graypaw, and you're a terrible, dreadful pretender!"

"Funny, a lot of cats have told me that," Bloodfeather meowed thoughtfully.

"Where's Duskpaw?" Sandypaw asked suddenly.

"Sulking in the apprentice den," Bloodfeather answered. "Well, not exactly, but kind of. I think she's a bit guilty about that incident with Cloverwing, which is just plain wierd. Doesn't want to admit it, though."

Sandypaw shook her head. "It's not only her. Cloverwing is gentle and patient, but she's just as stubborn as Duskpaw is. None of them will say anything until they get closer."

Bloodfeather perked up slightly. "I think I have an idea." He turned around and yelled, "Hey, Deeppaw!"

Everyone in hearing range stared at him. Bloodfeather smiled and waved his tail. "Hi."

Deeppaw wandered over to them. "Hey, guys. What do you want?"

"Well, Cloverwing's your mentor and Duskpaw's your sister," Bloodfeather started. "I thought maybe you could get them to warm to each other."

"Cloverwing isn't my mentor," Deeppaw meowed.

"Huh?" the other three asked.

"Well, not for now," Deeppaw added hastily. "Since she's refined to the camp for a moon, she can't take me out to train. Sandypaw, your brother, Furryfall, is taking over my training for now."

Sandypaw felt immense pride sweep over her. Furryfall had always been more close to her than any of her siblings, as they were both the youngest. "Really? He must be so happy!"

"We're getting off track here," Bloodfeather interrupted. "So, can you make them be friends?"

"My pleasure," Deeppaw said, twitching his tail. "Problem is, do they actually _want _to be friends? I'm not going to force Duskpaw to do anything she doesn't want to do."

"This is for the good of your father," Sandypaw added.

Deeppaw thought for a moment. "All right. I'll try."

Bloodfeather flashed him a grin. "Good!"

"And if you have any news, come tell me in the medicine den," Grayflower added.

Deeppaw nodded and bounded off. Sandypaw shook her head and smiled. "He'll make a good warrior."

"Hello!" a voice near them meowed. The three jumped into the air, startled. Night walked up to them, purring in amusement. "Startled you, huh? No need to worry, I'm good as new!"

"Does your scratch feel alright?" Grayflower asked.

"It feels perfect now, thanks to you and your other medicine cat," Night meowed, indiciating the cobweb-covered scratch on his back. Rose walked up next to her friend, her eyes glowing gratefully. "Thank you. You saved Night. We'll always be grateful to you. And if there is anything we can do in return, then we'll do it.

Flamefur had been listening near the fresh-kill pile. Now he walked up to them, saying, "Actually, you can. Lightningfur just informed me that a WaterClan cat has trespassed on our territory. It may be an accident, but he still trespassed. When Night is fully healed, maybe you could go check them out near the border to make sure that they don't cross into our territory. Only from time to time, though. I don't want to risk your lives just for that."

Night waved that thought away. "Oh, no, we won't risk ourselves. We're much too clever for that. No offense, though."

Rose seconded him. "Anything for you and your Clan, Flamefur."

There was a silence, during which Rose and Night held a whispered conversation and Sandypaw tried vainly to stop gazing dreamily at Flamefur's back, apparently unable yo take her eyes off his ginger fur. Finally, Grayflower broke the silence. "Well, I'm just going to go to the medicine den. See you later."

"Yeah, I have to go, too," Bloodfeather meowed. "I have to go to sleep. It's almost night, you know."

"Bloodfeather, it's only midday," Sandypaw whispered. Bloodfeather closed his eyes and said loudly, "Do I hear someone mocking me? If I hear another word, I shall retire to the elders den with Pawflower and that grump with one ear."

"That grump with one ear will make you have one ear also if you insult him one more time!"

Bloodfeather almost jumped when he saw the dark brown elder, Halfear, glaring at him. Bloodfeather nodded hastily. "Yes, yes, gotcha, Wise One, I'll just go." He scooted off. Halfear snorted. "Young ones have no respect for elders. Excluding you, Flamefur, and my grandson, Lightningfur," he added. Flamefur looked like he was going to burst into a fit of laughter, but if he had noticed, Halfear didn't say. He stalked off to the elders den.

Flamefur chuckled. "I'd best be off, too. Sandypaw, you should go on a hunting patrol. We need to restock the fresh-kill pile. Remember, there's a Gathering tomorrow."

"There is?" Sandypaw asked. No one had told her that! She quickly meowed, "Oh, right, of course there is." She turned away from him and walked off, her eyes riveted to her paws. She passed by Snowyfeather, who looked smugly at her for some strange reason. Sandypaw hardly noticed. The sight of Snowyfeather made her even more unhappy. Why did Flamefur have to love her? _Why??? _She loved him _sooo _much, and it was obvious that if Snowyfeather had her way she would probably kill every single Half-Clan in the forest. How could such an honest, loyal cat love a horrible she-cat!? Sandypaw shook her head. Apparently she would never understand...

"Oof!" she hissed with shock as something bowled her over. Springing up, she saw Silverpaw, looking very guilty. "Sorry 'bout that, Sandy."

"You forgot the word 'paw'," Sandypaw told him.

Silverpaw shrugged. "Whatever." He looked very annoyed with himself. "Your dad said I had to give you this message."

"Ok. Go ahead."

"Go ahead where?"

"No, I mean - Just tell me what Talltooth said!"

"Ok, ok! Let's see... Oh, yeah. He wanted you to know that Sorrelwing's four kits, Forestpaw, Grasspaw, Flowerpaw, and Leopardpaw, have mysteriously disappeared and you have to help him find them before Sorrelwing goes crazy and we all die!!!!!!!!"

Sandypaw stared at him. "Umm..."

Silverpaw stared back at her and said, "Umm what?"

Sandypaw struggled to find something to say, even though she was very alarmed. "You do know - You didn't have - That's a bit mental - Are you serious?"

"Yeah!"

"I mean the last part, about Sorrelwing going crazy, did you mean that?"

Silverpaw looked at her blankly. Sandypaw felt a surge of frustration. "Hello?"

Silverpaw shook his head. "Well, actually, no, but I thought maybe it would add more drama to it and it would persuade you to come along and help look for them - "

"Are you kidding me?" Sandypaw strode forward to the bramble thicket. "Persuade me? I don't need persuading! Come on, let's go!"

* * *

**Yeah, it wasn't the best chappie ever. Sorry to everyone who was expecting something better. The next chapter will be even better, I promise. **

**I couldn't think of anything that Duskpaw could do to Cloverwing. So I just made them have an argument. Now she's really guilty. Do you think I should make them make up? (shrugs)**

**Sandypaw made a narrow escape from those evil kitties, huh? I've been thinking about doing that in one of the chapters for the longest time _EVER! _I finally did it! Yay! (hugs self) **

**The end was a bit dumb. Silverpaw's kinda crazy, you have to admit. It's so hilarious. So if you review, you get... Silverpaw plushies! So please, please, PLEASE review! Remember, if I get 100 reviews, Sandypaw & Flamefur plushies with tails entwined! (that doesn't mean that Flamefur likes Sandypaw. It just looks cute.)**


	14. Chapter 12

**YAY!! WE GOT MORE THAN 100 REVIEWS!! YAY!! PLUSHIES FOR EVERYONE!! (throws out plushies)**

**So, anyways people, you must thank ThrushflightEdward'sStalker because she sent in all those reviews that got us more than 100 reviews!! (bows to Thrushflight) Anyway, on with my answers.**

**Allan Pike - The great Clans are just the original Clans, like ThunderClan and such. **

**ThrushflightEdward'sStalker - I hope she's dead. But I doubt it. Thrushclones? (looks worried)**

**Thrushclones - OMSC. (hides in the refrigerator) Still, thanks, Thrushclones!**

**Thrushgatherer - THANK YOU!! (comes out of refrigerator)**

**Leafstar - Yup, Silverpaw's supposed to be completely mental. :D**

**Freezefur - Thankees!!**

**Spongey Bobby - Oh, well, nice name. Thanks!!**

**Grassy Leaves - Yes, it'd be nice if the name Squirrelflightlover was on a book cover. (slaps self also)**

**Mudheart - Patience, friend, patience... **

**Inktounge58 - You meant to say warrior, right? Because you said worrier. (giggles) Nice rant, by the way.**

**Flumpers - No, she was just called Paw. I know, it's weird... OO**

**Gingerstar14 - Oh well... Too bad, though.**

**Peachflower - Thanks, Peachflower! Flamefur lked that chocolate. I think...**

* * *

Silverpaw led the way to where Talltooth was standing. The white tom looked unerved. Sandypaw felt worried. Her nieces and nephews had just become apprentices. They probably didn't know much of the forest yet. If they were out there... She didn't want to imagine what could happen to them.

Talltooth spotted her and Silverpaw and looked relieved. "Ah, good, you're here," he told them. "I'll be leading the search party, and besides you two, Sorrelwing, Tanfeather, Furryfall, and Tabbypaw will be coming with us."

Sandypaw had expected that some of her family would be coming with them, but she was surprised that Tabbypaw was joining too. The brown tom was staring at his paws with wide, scared looking eyes, and his tail was twitching worriedly.

Talltooth flicked his tail, and they left the camp. Sandypaw pushed throuh the bramble thicket, lagging behind purposefully until she was side by side with Tabbypaw. She nudged him. "You all right?"

For once, the brown tabby didn't tell her to go away because she was a Half-Clan. He looked up at her with those same wide, scared eyes. "Yeah," he mewed. "I guess." He took a deep breath and then burst out in a rush, "I'm worried about Flowerpaw because I really, really like her and I don't know if she likes me back and if she was taken and eaten by a fox, or - or a badger, or a Twoleg, I don't know what I'll do, no, I'll die!"

"Whoa," Sandypaw meowed. "Wait... You like..."

"Yes," Tabbypaw answered. "That's why I'm coming with you."

Sandypaw nodded, then she ran ahead to catch up with her father. She made it just in time to hear Sorrelwing yowl, "I smell them! I smell them!"

Sandypaw came to a stop by Tanfeather's side, and a few moments later, Tabbypaw arrived too. Tanfeather meowed, "I smell them too, but they went seperate ways."

"We should seperate too, and meet back here later," Talltooth said. "Sandypaw and Silverpaw, you two go that way, where Leopardpaw's scent is." He nodded in the direction of CloudClan territory. The two apprentices nodded also, and turned around, running past trees and rocks and other debris. Sandypaw slowed down and sniffed around. The sound of rushing water met her ears, and she turned to see a thin river that widened into a humongous waterfall. Sandypaw thought hard. Yes, Glaciercloud had told her that CloudClan called it the Riverdrop.

"Over here!" Silverpaw called. Sandypaw turned toward him. He had parted some bushes and was jumping around. "I got her scent again!"

Sandypaw raced over to him. Indeed, she could smell Leopardpaw's scent as clear as day. Sandypaw led the way as Silverpaw followed behind, making sure that the young apprentice had not wandered off in a different direction. Then Sandypaw stopped. Leopardpaw's scent veered off in the direction of the Riverdrop. Silverpaw came up to her and yelled amidst the noise of the waterfall, "Hey! Did you get her scent!?"

"What!?" Sandypaw yowled.

"I SAID," Silverpaw bellowed. "DID YOU GET HER SCENT!?"

"Not too loud!" Sandypaw shouted, gritting her teeth.

"Sorry!" yowled Silverpaw.

"Yes! I did!" she shouted. She was finding it hard to speak. The noise of the waterfall made her feel like she was deaf.

Sandypaw bent down and sniffed. Leopardpaw's scent was faint. Sandypaw felt disappointment and fear creep over her. What if Leopardpaw had fallen into the river? If she had, she could have gone down the waterfall at this moment! And then -

"Do you hear that, Sandypaw!?" Silverpaw asked as loudly as he could. Sandypaw strained her ears. She couldn't believe it - She could hear a faint yowling voice.

"It's coming from that direction," she yelled, sprinting off. Silverpaw followed behind. "Hey! Wait up!"

Sandypaw hardly heard him, either because it was the noise of the waterfall or she was too concentrated on finding Leopardpaw, she never knew. She came to a stop by a wide ridge. She stared as Silverpaw came up beside her. "Woah!" he breathed.

They were standing on a ledge overlooking the waterfall. It was as though Sandypaw was back at Falling Cliffs again. The only difference was that she could see the bottom of the waterfall, which was bubbly and frothy. She tore her gaze away from its depths and looked around. "Can you see her!?" she yowled.

"Nope!" Silverpaw yowled back. "But I hope she isn't down there!"

_Me too, _Sandypaw thought. And then she heard it again. That same yowling voice. And this time she made out the words - "Help me!"

"I's Leopardpaw!" she told Silverpaw. "She's near us!"

Silverpaw looked down again. "There!" he shouted out, pointing with his tail at a small orange shape hanging onto a twig sticking out near the ledge. Sandypaw was reminded horribly once more of her experience at Falling Cliffs.

Leopardpaw spotted them. "Sandypaw! Silverpaw! Help me! Please!!" She sounded as though she was in tears.

"Hang on!" Sandypaw yelled back to her, even though her voice was getting hoarse from yowling. She turned to Silverpaw. "Can you find a long brach or something that she can grab onto!?"

"My pleasure!" Silverpaw nodded, then ran off into the trees. Sandypaw looked down again. Leopardpaw looked like she was slipping. "Leopardpaw! Hang on!"

"What does it look like I'm doing!?" Leopardpaw screamed hysterically.

Sandypaw glanced around. Silverpaw wasn't back yet, and Leopardpaw wouldn't be able to grip on much longer, she knew that from experience. She bent down over the ledge and yowled, "Grab the branch in your teeth, Leopardpaw! I'm going to try and grab you!"

"All right!" the she-cat cried. She gripped the branch between her teeth as Sandypaw reached down. The spotted cat lunged upward with her paw, appently intending to grab Sandypaw's own paw, but she fell short.

"You're too far away!" Leopardpaw told her, her voice a bit muffled because the branch was still in her mouth.

Sandypaw wasn't going to give up. She crouched down onto the grass as Leopardpaw meowed in a panic, "I'm slipping!"

Sandypaw reached down farther, as far as she could go. She felt as though she was going to fall over the edge, and the breeze made her swing slightly from side to side. Leopardpaw made to grab at her paw again. Their paws touched, and Leopardpaw frantically tried to hold on, but once again, it fell short.

"Keep trying!" Sandypaw yowled, unfortunatly getting splashed with a mouthful of water at the exact same moment. Spitting out the water, she gasped again as water drenched her to the tip of her tail. She flattened her ears, but nevertheless tried to grab Leopardpaw. She could see that water was splashing over Leopardpaw and the branch, and the she-cat's grip was loosening. Leopardpaw grabbed the branch with her paws again and yowled, "I'm slipping, Sandypaw! I'm going to die!"

"No you won't!" Sandypaw meowed firmly. "I won't let you!" She turned around briefly. _Silverpaw, hurry up!_

"Silverpaw!" she yowled.

"Coming!"

"Oh, good!" she breathed as she saw Silverpaw lunging toward her, a large, sturdy branch clamped in his mouth.

"It took you that long to get a stick!?" she yelled.

"The squirrels wouldn't let me have it!" he replied. Sandypaw shook her head. "Tell me later! Come on!"

Silverpaw bent over the edge with the branch in his mouth and waved it above Leopardpaw's head. The apprentice looked up, her eyes dull, and then hope shined in her eyes once again.

"Grab on!" Sandypaw yelled.

Leopardpaw nodded and gripped the large branch in her teeth. Silverpaw grunted and hauled her up. Slowly, Leopardpaw appeared over the ledge. Sandypaw grabbed her by the scruff, and pulled her onto firm ground, just as Silverpaw let go of the branch. They watched it fall down, down, down, where they heard a faint splash. Silverpaw panted heavily. "You're not that light you, know, Leopardpaw."

Sandypaw turned to Leopardpaw, ignoring the water that was spraying onto her already wet pelt. "What did you think you were doing!?"

Leopardpaw was shaking like a leaf in Leaf Fall. "I - I'll tell you once w - we get out of h - here," she whimpered, looking nervously at the Riverdrop again. Sandypaw and Silverpaw led her back into the forest, where Leopardpaw calmed down enough to say, "So, Silverpaw, you say squirrels wouldn't let you have that branch?"

"Yeah," the silver tom meowed. "It was covering their supply of nuts, I think. When I tried to take it away, they kept hitting me with acorns."

Sandypaw peered over him and wiped an acorn off his back with her tail. "Ah."

After awhile, Leopardpaw told them how Forestpaw had gathered all his siblings together and told them how there had been enemy warriors trespassing on their territory. They had all gone along with him and split up, intending to find CloudClan warriors. Leopardpaw had thought that the Riverdrop was a likely place for an enemy warrior to hide, and that was where she had almost fallen to her death, if not for that small twig.

"I owe that twig my life," she meowed. "I'm gonna be nice to twigs from now on!"

As Silverpaw and Sandypaw rolled around with laughter at this statement, Sandypaw heard a crack. She sat up straight and peered around. She caught sight of red eyes peering out at them, heard someone curse, and then the eyes blinked. She watched as they disappeared. Her neck fur was beginning to prickle. "Let's go to the place where we were supposed to meet the rest of the patrol."

In the small clearing, everyone else was already there. Talltooth and Tanfeather were supporting Forestpaw, Tabbypaw was licking the ears of a moaning Flowerpaw, and Sorrelwing and Furryfall were nudging an unmoving shape. Sandypaw held her breath as she left Silverpaw and Leopardpaw's side to stand by Sorrelwing and Furryfall. Grasspaw was lying on the grass, his eyes closed and his paws spread out. His side was covered with blood.

"Is he - ?" Sandypaw whispered.

Furryfall looked at his sister. "No," he meowed. "He was knocked unconscious by a badger. He was trying to fight it off by himself."

Sorrelwing spotted Leopardpaw and cried out in delight. She ran over to her daughter and nuzzled her. "Oh, I was so worried!"

"I'm all right, Mom," Leopardpaw replied, but she stayed by Sorrelwing's side.

After a happy reunion, they walked back to camp, Furryfall and Talltooth carrying Grasspaw's unconscious form. The rest of his siblings chattered away to the older cats. Apparently, besides Leopardpaw almost falling down the Riverdrop, Forestpaw had gotten stuck in an abandoned fox hole and Flowerpaw had accidentally wandered into CloudClan territory and been attacked by a CloudClan patrol. According to her, her brave hero Tabbypaw had jumped onto the Cloudclan cats, yowling like 'something from somewhere I don't know yet.' According to her. Sandypaw giggled at what Flowerpaw said and watched her press her side against Tabbypaw. She laughed, and then imagined that being her, her own ginger body pressed against Flamefur's dark ginger pelt. She sighed. She would give anything for that!

"Hey. Sandypaw. Snap out of it."

"Huh?" Sandypaw recovered from her daze and shook her head. Silverpaw was staring at her, eyes wide. "You looked like you were having a daydream. And you were saying Flamefur over and over again."

"Oh... uh - " she stammered, trying to think of something to say.

Silverpaw stopped her. "Don't worry. I know."

"You do?" Sandypaw asked worriedly.

"Of course," he meowed. "You're thinking about how you almost fell down Falling Cliffs, how Flamefur saved you, how you were thanking him, and how much in common that was to Leopardpaw's disaster."

"Yeah. That's right," Sandypaw mewed, feeling dazed again.

"Anyways," Silverpaw continued, unaware that Sandypaw's mind was wandering off again, "I do hope Grasspaw recovers. Hey, you know, Frecklecloud's getting fatter every day. I'm not sure if it's because she eats too much or if it's because she's going to have kits. Either way, Brackenfang must be proud. Why he would be proud that she's fat, I don't know. I mean, it doesn't really make her look attractive. What do you think, Sandypaw? Sandypaw?"

He looked at her. Sandypaw's eyes had gone out of focus, and she was staring at the clouds as though she wanted to go up and lick them. Silverpaw sighed. "Really, they should have called you Thinkingaboutsomethingelsepaw. It fits you better."

Sandypaw jerked out of her trance. "What did you say?"

"Never mind," Silverpaw meowed as they entered the camp. Sandypaw finally got over her thoughts and was just in time to hear Forestpaw tell Leopardpaw, "You know, I wish Snowyfeather had told us about those Cloudclan warriors earlier. We could've caught them then."

_Snowyfeather!? _

"Ooh, I am going to claw her fur out, the stupid furball!" Sandypaw muttered, cursing Snowyfeather under her breath. Of course, she should have known. She remembered how just before they had set out to look for the troublesome four, Snowyfeather had given her a smug look for some strange reason. Now she knew what that 'strange reason' was.

Oakstar walked out of his den with Flamefur at his side. Sandypaw noticed that Flamefur was by Oakstar's side a lot lately. Thinking of Flamefur made her fall into the DaydreamClan once more.

"Did you find them?" Oakstar asked.

"Yes," Tanfeather meowed. "Talltooth and Furryfall took Grasspaw to the medicine den. He has a horrible wound."

"I see," Oakstar said.

Sorrelwing's eyes shone. "I'd like to thank everyone who helped find them - "

"Whoa, don't go into a speech," Silverpaw meowed, his eyes wide with horror. "I'm afraid of speeches."

Sorrelwing gave him an odd look. "Anyways, Oakstar, you really should make these three apprentices warriors. Flowerpaw and Leopardpaw wouldn't be here if it weren't for Sandypaw, Silverpaw, and Tabbypaw."

At the mention of her name, Sandypaw jerked her head and said goodbye to the cats of DaydreamClan, going back to reality.

Oakstar looked as though he were considering the idea. "I see... well, we can arrange that. Tabbypaw and Silverpaw, today you will be made warriors."

Tabbypaw beamed. Silverpaw jumped up and down, yowling, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!" in some sing-song voice.

"What about me?" Sandypaw asked.

Oakstar stared at her. "Not today."

"But - " Sandypaw protested.

"I do recall that I told you that you would be waiting awhile before you were made a warrior," Oakstar interrupted.

"But Oakstar!" Tanfeather cried out, pulling Sandypaw toward her with her tail. "She just _saved _my granddaughter!"

"Silverpaw helped," Oakstar grunted.

"What are you saying, that she just sat around there counting clouds?!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Then why do you refuse to make my daughter a warrior!?"

"Because she's a Half-Clan!"

He had said the wrong thing. Tanfeather bulled into him, and he was knocked to the ground.

"Don't you _dare _say that word again, you hear me!?" she growled at him, glaring. "If she's a Half-Clan, then so are her brothers and sisters, but I don't see 'paw' at the end of their names!"

Oakstar pushed her off. "Tanfeather, you aren't supposed to attack a leader."

"I didn't unsheathe my claws," Tanfeather muttered.

"You won't be able to go to a Gathering for two moons."

Tanfeather kept glaring at him without flinching. Obviously, she didn't care.

"And you cannot tell me what to do," Oakstar meowed huffily. "When you are leader, then you can do whatever you want. Which will be never."

He stalked off. Tanfeather snarled and slashed at the grass, then walked into the warriors den with her tail held high.

Sandypaw's tail drooped. She was angry at Oakstar, sorry for her mother, and disappointed that Oakstar hadn't changed his mind. She caught Flamefur's eye, and he mouthed 'nerves'. Sandypaw rolled her eyes. She may respect Flamefur, and she may love him, _and_ she may daydream about him, but she was sure that what Oakstar had said had _nothing absolutely _to do with nerves.

_...Sand...Fire..._

Duskpaw listened to Sandypaw tell about what had happened that day. She shook her head. "Sandypaw, I'm telling you, if Oakstar won't let you become a warrior yet, then he is messed up."

"Probably," Sandypaw agreed.

"Either way, he _has _to let you come to the Gathering tonight, or else Tanfeather will claw his throat out," Duskpaw meowed, yawning. "Anyways, did you hear? Frecklecloud should be having her kits anytime soon. Unless something goes wrong, of course."

"That's good," Sandypaw meowed.

At that moment, Silverpaw bounded into the den, along with Tabbypaw and Flowerpaw. Flowerpaw seemed more interested in Tabbypaw than before, because she kept crooning over him. Tabbypaw seemed very pleased about it.

"Hey, guess what?" Silverpaw meowed excitedly.

"You're going to be warriors," Duskpaw said dryly.

"How'd you know?" Silverpaw seemed dumbfounded.

"Because you have been talking about it ever since Oakstar told you that." Duskpaw shook her head. "Honestly, if you get any more mousebrained, you'll blow up."

"Let all cats gather round the HighBoulder for a Clan meeting!"

Silverpaw jumped up and down. "It's time! It's time!"

Duskpaw rolled her eyes. "Are you going to just jump up and down, or are you going to go? Tabbypaw already left."

She was talking to air. Silverpaw was already gone.

Sandypaw stood up. "Well, we might as well go into the clearing too."

They padded out of the apprentice den and sat beside Tanfeather and Weedpaw. Oakstar was on the HighBoulder, staring down on the cats. "Before we go to the Gathering," he yowled, "I have two new warriors to make. Silverpaw, Tabbypaw, come here."

They bounded up the rock and came to a stop at Oakstar's side, whiskers quivering in anticipation.

Oakstar looked up at the sky, gazing at the stars that were just beginning to appear in the sky. He opened his mouth, and everyone went silent. "I, Oakstar, leader of FireClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He swiveled around to face Silverpaw and Tabbypaw, his tail swishing around. Silverpaw grunted as Oakstar's tail hit him in the face, but he stayed still and silent, gazing up at the leader with wide eyes.

"Silverpaw, Tabbypaw, do you promise to uphold and the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

Tabbypaw narrowed his eyes and bowed his head. "I do," he meowed quietly.

Silverpaw's fur rippled with excitement. "I do! I do! I do! I do! I do! I d - !"

"Once is enough, Silverpaw," Oakstar meowed in amusement. Silverpaw stopped saying 'I do' and looked embarrased. Oakstar continued. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Tabbypaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Tabbypelt. StarClan honors your courageousness and strenth, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FireClan."

After giving Oakstar's shoulder a respectful lick, Tabbypelt padded down to stand by Flowerpaw, who whispered something excitedly in his ear.

"Silverpaw," Oakstar went on, "from this moment on you shall be known as Silverclaw. StarClan honors your good humor and quick thinking, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FireClan."

Silverclaw licked Oakstar's shoulder eagerly, then bounded down the HighBoulder to Sandypaw and Duskpaw's side. The Clan chanted loudly, "Tabbypelt! Silverclaw! Tabbypelt! Silverclaw!"

Tabbypelt bent his head bashfully, and Flowerpaw gave his ear a lick of encouragement. Silverclaw, on the other paw, raised his head proudly and strutted around in place. Duskpaw and Sandypaw bent down close to the ground, their chests heaving in silent laughter.

Up on the HighBoulder, Oakstar twitched his tail for order, and it became quiet. Oakstar watched a trickle of water drop off a tree branch for a moment, and then he meowed, "Silverclaw and Tabbypelt will hold their silent vigil tonight and will be unable to go to the Gathering. The cats who will be coming are Deeppaw, Brackenfang, Furryfall, Scrawnyfur, Dewfeather, Ravenwhisker, Snowyfeather, Talltooth, Bloodfeather, Lightningfur, and Sandypaw."

He jumped off the HighBoulder and padded towards the bramble thicket. Sandypaw felt a prickled of relief spread through her. She had started to think that Oakstar would never say her name.

Deeppaw wandered over to them. "Sandypaw, I want to tell you something. Duskpaw, please go stand somewhere else."

Duskpaw flicked her tail in annoyance. "Yeah, it's 'Go stand over there, Duskpaw' and 'You're refined to the camp for one moon, Duskpaw'." She sighed and walked off to talk to Bloodfeather.

Deeppaw looked back at Sandypaw. "I did what you asked."

"Which was what?" Sandypaw asked, confused.

"To make Cloverwing and Duskpaw friends again," Deeppaw meowed. "When you and the others were off looking for Sorrelwing's kits, I talked to Cloverwing and she seemed really upset. So I went to Duskpaw and tried to bring up Cloverwing very slowly, but the minute I said her name, Duskpaw just turned and stalked away. Just like that." He shook his head. "She's never done that to me before."

"It's all right, Deeppaw," Sandypaw meowed. "You tried your best." She turned back to Duskpaw. "Bye, Duskpaw!"

Duskpaw waved good-bye, then padded into the apprentice den. Bloodfeather joined them as they walked into the forest. "You know, Flamefur's, like, right over there..." Bloodfeather's eyes twinkled mischeiviously, and he purred as Sandypaw snapped her head up to stare at him.

"What are you hinting at?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm saying - " the tom began.

Sandypaw pushed him away. "You're saying nothing. Bye!"

Bloodfeather grinned and padded off. Deeppaw looked at Sandypaw curiously. "What was that about?"

"Nothing," Sandypaw sighed.

"Hey! Wait!"

Sandypaw turned around. Rose and Night were running toward them, their tails flailing behind them. Night still seemed to be limping, but ran as fast as ever. They came to a slow stop by Flamefur, who looked surprised. "Rose, Night, what are you doing here?"

"We want to come to a Gathering too," Rose purred. "Night feels well enough."

"Yeah," Night added. "I'd like to see something different besides camp." He gave Flamefur a pleading look.

It was obvious that Flamefur wanted to say yes, but he instead meowed, "It's up to Oakstar to decide."

Everyone turned to look at Oakstar. Sandypaw bristled as she heard Snowyfeather's unmistakable voice, "Oakstar, you aren't going to actually let them come, are you?"

Oakstar gazed at them. "Snowyfeather, I know what you are thinking, but they mean no harm. They are our friends. They can come."

"Thank you," Night meowed.

Snowyfeather snorted, then walked up to Flamefur.

Sandypaw padded along and was startled as Furryfall came up beside her and meowed, "Heya, sis!"

"Hi, Furryfall."

"Hey, Deeppaw!" Furryfall grinned.

Deeppaw grinned back. "Hey, Furryfall."

Furryfall cocked his head. "So, I heard from Sorrelwing that you helped find Leopardpaw. Why weren't you made a warrior?"

"Oakstar," Sandypaw meowed dryly.

Furryfall nodded. "Ah, I see."

He tensed as a mouse scuttled by, and remained alert and silent for the rest of the trip. When they finally rached the stones shaped like claws, Oakstar flicked his tail and they all ran into the clearing. The strong scent of AirClan and CloudClan greeted Sandypaw. Where was WaterClan?

Sandypaw spotted a familiar shape and ran over to it, purring. "Applepaw!"

The ginger she-cat stopped in mid-lick. "Applepaw? Who's Applepaw? My name's _Applepool_."

Sandypaw smiled at her. "You're a warrior? That's wonderful!"

Applepool grinned back. "I know. And guess what? I'm pregnant!"

"That's even better!" Sandypaw exclaimed. "Who's the father?"

"Sootclaw." Applepool flicked her tail at a light gray tom with a dappled coat. Sandypaw had met him once before, and like Applepool, seemed much nicer than the rest of the CloudClan cats.

Applepool resumed her grooming. "So are you a warrior?"

"No," admitted Sandypaw.

Applepool stared at her. "You're kidding!? We're, like, the same age! You should be a warrior right now."

"Well, I'm not," Sandypaw meowed sheepishly.

"I'd like to have a talk with that leader of yours..." She unsheathed her claws and scratched them into the hard ground. Sandypaw said nothing, because, even though she would not say it, she wanted to do the exact same thing, too.

"So what's been happening in your Clan?" Sandypaw asked finally.

"Nothing much," Applepool replied. "Except that after the battle between your Clan and ours, one of our best warriors died. Barkfur," she added at Sandypaw's questioning look. Sandypaw nodded.

"And my dear, wonderful sister got her warrior name," Applepaw meowed, rolling her eyes and making a face. "She's now known as Petalstream." She added in a whisper,"She calls herself the Petal of Greatness. I, on the other paw, call her the Petal of Snobbiness."

Sandypaw giggled. Applepool's eyes widened. "Oh yes, and I almost forgot. Honeyflower had kits. Their names are Rushkit and Roundkit."

"Who's the father?"

"Pinestar."

Sandypaw stared. "But I thought his mate was - "

"Daisycloud?" Applepool finished. "Well, there's a rumor in camp that he killed her, and I think that's what he told you when we had the battle. Anyways, you know what he's like."

"Yes, I know," Sandypaw said, remembering how Duskpaw had told her, _He's an Ilovemating cat._

"So what's been going on in your Clan?" Applepool asked. Before Sandypaw could answer, WaterClan arrived. They streamed through the claw-shaped stones and scrambled beside the other cats, immediately chatting and discussing. Shellstar leapt onto the Great Tree and sat down on the lowest branch, her tail twitching irrately.

Patchstar yowled out loudly, silencing everyone. He flicked his tail at Pinestar, motioning for him to go first. There was an increased muttering and angry hissing among the Fireclan cats. Pinestar ignored them and spoke. Sandypaw listened but was bristling furiously. She remembered how Pinestar had trapped her underneath him and threatened to mate with her. She once again felt relief that he hadn't had the chance.

When Pinestar was done saying the exact same things Applepool had told Sandypaw, Patchstar moved forward. "All is well with AirClan. Three of our apprentices have become warriors. Hazelpaw, Hillpaw, and Huntingpaw shall now be known as Hazeltail, Hillfoot, and Huntingclaw."

The three new warriors raised their heads proudly. Sandypaw recognized the one who was Hillfoot. He had been in the patrol that had stopped her while she was going to Falling Cliffs.

Patchstar flicked his tail at Oakstar. Oakstar stood and balanced on the tree branch, then meowed, "All is going well with FireClan. We have two new warriors that were made today. Tabbypelt and Silverclaw."

As everyone looked around for them, Oakstar continued, "They are standing vigil at the camp and could not come today. Also, one of out queens is due to give birth at any time. And a WaterClan cat trespassed on our territory."

Shellstar's looked at Oakstar with cold eyes. "It won't happen again," she meowed dryly.

Oakstar nodded. "And FireClan is perfectly fine and can defend themselves against _any _attack from _any _Clan."

His words hovered in the air, and for a moment Sandypaw was sure Pinestar was going to tear the FireClan leader to bits. Then Oakstar backed away and sat down. Shellstar stood up. "Splashpaw, Hawkpaw, Foxpaw, Woodpaw, and Icypaw have become warriors also. They are now known as Splashtail, Hawktalon, Foxtail, Woodfur, and Icypool."

The new warriors stood and gazed around them calmly. Foxtail was mostly staring at the she-cats, Sandypaw noticed.

"Puddlecloud had kits a few moons ago, and they are now apprentices. Littlepaw and Shadepaw are here today for their first Gathering," Shellstar announced. The crowd of cats parted to look at Littlepaw and Shadepaw. Littlepaw, a very small silver she-cat, shuffled her paws shyly. Shadepaw, who was a handsome dark gray tom, stood up proudly and strutted over to a pretty WaterClan she-cat, who giggled.

As Shellstar talked some more aboutTwolegs, Sandypaw saw Dewfeather wander over to the CloudClan cat Quailfeather, and a few moemts later they had disappeared behind some bushes.

"Hey."

Sandypaw jumped at the whisper behind her, but she knew the voice. "Night, Rose, what were you doing, creeping up on me like that?"

Rose grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Sandypaw. We were talking to some CloudClan cats and they were pretty snobby, so we decided to talk to someone we knew."

Night nodded. "And you know, Rose and I have been checking out Waterclan like Flamefur asked us to."

"Really?" Sandypaw pricked up her ears.

"Yes, but I think one of their cats saw us," Rose mewed. "It might have just been my imagination, but I shudder to think what might happen to us and your Clan if they did see us. After all, we smelled of FireClan and were on their territory."

Sandypaw said nothing, but her mind was whirling with worried thoughts.

Finally, something Shellstar said caught her attention, and her heart sank.

"We have seen two cats trespassing on our territory, and they smelled of FireClan!"

The FireClan cats yowled out their outrage. Rose and Night shrank close to the ground, worry dancing like fire in their eyes.

But Tigerstripe, a WaterClan cat, saw Rose and Night. "There they are!" he yowled. "I can see the intruders!"

He and his Clanmate Pebblefur herded Rose and Night up to the Great Tree. Shellstar peered down at the two in anger. "You have trespassed on our territory, correct?"

"You don't understand - " Rose began, her voice sounding tearful.

"And you have been _spying _on my Clan?" Shellstar spat, interrupting Rose.

"Now wait here - !" Oakstar protested. "Rose and Night are not even Clan cats. What's your proof?"

"I saw them prowling around our territory, wtching us," Tigerstripe growled. "And if they aren't from your Clan, why are they here at a Gathering?"

"We wanted to come!" Night called. WaterClan cats bristled. "The warrior code only allows Clan cats at FourClaws, not rogues and plump loners!"

The FireClan cats sprang up and stood face to face with the WaterClan cats, their eyes narrowed into slits. Flamefur, at the base of the Great Tree, stood up. "Stop! We cannot fight!" he yowled. A few cats sheathed their claws, but some others paid no attention.

"The moon!" Grayflower and Webclaw shouted out at the same time. "It's gone!"

Although heads turned to look at the sky, the two angry Clans did not stop hissing. Shellstar snarled, "Oakstar, you have just announced battle on you own self!"

"If we have, then FireClan can fight up to it!" Oakstar retorted, jumping down to Shellstar's side and spitting, "We will not back down from anything or any cat!"

"THIS MEETING IS AT AN END!" Shellstar thundered. She stalked down the tree, turning only to say, "This isn't over, Oakstar!" She padded out of the clearing, greeted by snarls and growls from FireClan cats. Sandypaw, although she hated her, felt satisfaction as Snowyfeather hissed at the WaterClan leader, "Don't even think about battling our Clan, or I'll tear you up!"

"We'll see about that!" Shellstar snapped, and stalked out with her Clan following. Pinestar, who had watched the whole thing with glee, followed her Clan. Applepool meowed a hasty good-bye to Sandypaw and left. Oakstar flicked his tail and raced out of FourClaws. Sandypaw, watching the shaken Rose and Night, followed. Pinestar and Shellstar had declared war on FireClan. She could see it in everyone else's faces. Trouble was in for FireClan, and they all knew it.

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**Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think this was a way better chapter than the last one. :) I haven't got much to say right now.**

**And guess what?? I had seven cats, and then I had ten, and then nine, and then seven again!! Don't ask...**

**Now, plushies...how about...ThrushflightEdward'sStalker plushies!! She's (or is it he?) one of my top reviewers, and she sent in a bunch of reviews. Ok, so Thrushflight plushies if you review. I wonder what Thrushflight looks like, anyways... So, review please!!**


	15. Chapter 13

**Hi everyone! I haven't written in a while because my cat, Sage, died. Dogs killed her. (throws a spear at dogs) Anyways, here are the answers to your reviews.**

**Grassy Leaves - Oakstar has a reason. And, yes, I do have Sandypaw's name picked out. I've had it picked out for a _looooooooonnnng _time.**

**Gingerstar14 - Thank you very much!**

**PoppyleafEdward'sStalker - Nice name... But I'm still calling you Thrushflight! Thank goodness indeed! **

**Lilyheart Medicine Cat - I know!**

**The Underwater Seahorse - I don't remember your name. And Oakstar will turn out good in the end, don't worry.**

**Norix - That's what I call a compliment!**

**Shadilverluvr - There's a reason there's a lot of cats in FireClan. And there actually are a lot of cats in the other Clans. During the story cats are apprenticed and made into warriors, but you don't know that because we don't show it. And I think you should at least know why Sandypaw isn't a warrior yet. I put it in here, like, a thousand times.**

**Soren-silverwolf - Pawflower's apprenitce name was Paw, not Pawpaw.**

**Everyone gets Thrushflight plushies!! (throws plushies in the air) And now for the story. Be warned: You might not expect some things.**

* * *

Sandypaw sat in the apprentice den with Duskpaw, telling her all about the Gathering. Duskpaw groaned. "We might as well have just declared war on ourselves!"

Sandypaw sighed. "What's done is done. There isn't anything we can do about it."

She stared outside. The darkened sky seemed completely black. There weren't any stars at all. Sandypaw turned back to Duskpaw. "But I swear by StarClan, if we must fight, we'll win!"

"I'm with you on that," Duskpaw yawned. "Well, good night and sweet dreams." She curled up in her moss nest and fell asleep. Sandypaw watched her for a few seconds, then padded out of the den. She didn't feel to sleepy. Spotting Flamefur in the distance, she padded over to him, her heart leaping in her chest. "Hey, Flamefur."

"Hello, Sandypaw," Flamefur meowed. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing really." Sandypaw plopped down on the ground. "I'm just worried."

Flamefur looked at her with unblinking eyes. "You mean about CloudClan and WaterClan?"

"Yes..." Sandypaw said hesitantly. Flamefur flicked her lightly with his tail. "Don't worry. If they fight, we'll just fight back." He stood up and began to walk away, then looked back. "I'll have to talk to Oakstar about letting you go to the MoonCrystal. All the apprentices except you have already gone."

Sandypaw dipped her head in acknowledgement as he turned away. Sitting down, she sighed. She should stop falling for Flamefur. He had a mate, and they were in the midst of close battle between the Clans. She shouldn't be thinking about Flamefur. But how could she not? She placed her head on her paws and stared into space. She had to admit, her thoughts were confusing.

"Sandypaw."

She looked up to see Rose and Night padding slowly toward her. They stopped a few mouse lengths next to her, then Night began hesitantly, "We thought we should tell you that - "

"We're leaving," Rose finished for him.

"Leaving?" Sandypaw echoed.

"You've all been so nice to us, and we repay you by bringing trouble to your Clan." Rose shook her head. "We must leave."

Sandypaw stood. "But why are you telling me?"

"If we told Flamefur," Night meowed, "he'd insist on us staying. We don't want him to do that. So we just told you. When we leave, you will tell him, right?"

Sandypaw nodded slowly.

"Good." Night seemed satisfied. "We'll just go then."

"Thank you," Rose added, her eyes glowing in the darkness. "You've been kind. And if you need our help, just call for us."

"Good bye," Sandypaw whispered as the two cats ran out of camp and disappeared. Sandypaw watched them, then padded back into the apprentice den and curled up. She would tell Flamefur tomorrow.

_...Sand...Fire..._

It was midday. The sun shone down on the cats as Oakstar called the Clan to a meeting.

"As we have found out," Oakstar yowled. "Rose and Night have gone. And though they have left us, they will be our friends for the rest of our lives." He glared at them all as if daring them to argue.

The Clan bowed their heads.

"And now that WaterClan and CloudClan have both declared war on us," he continued. "I have decided to make a new warrior." He flicked his tail, and Weedpaw came up to stand beside him.

Sandypaw watched the ceremony, her pelt searing with envy.

Duskpaw padded out of the den, yawning, and walked over to Sandypaw. "What's going on?"

"Weedpaw's becoming a warrior."

"You should be up there with him!" Duskpaw meowed angrily.

"I know." Sandypaw watched as Oakstar meowed, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Weedpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Weedfoot. StarClan honors you faith and courage, and we welcome you as a new warrior of FireClan."

Weedfoot licked Oakstar's shoulder and bounded down the HighBoulder. His eyes shone with pride. Sandypaw padded over to him and meowed, "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Weedfoot purred.

Oakstar, who was still on the boulder, yowled, "I will be joining the dawn patrol today. Flamefur, oraganize the rest of the patrol."

Flamefur leapt in front of the HighBoulder. "Scrawnyfur, Sprucefoot, Fogpelt, Glaciercloud, Leopardpaw and Snowyfeather will come for the patrol. I'll be joining also. Lightningfur, you'll be in charge of the camp while we're gone." He padded towards the camp entrance with the other cats following him.

Sandypaw glanced at Weedfoot. "So, how is it to be a new warrior?"

Weedfoot licked his paw and ran it over his ear. "It's all right, I guess. I just wish I had a family here to see it."

Sandypaw rubbed against him affectionately. "Your family are watching you from StarClan. There isn't any need to worry."

For a moment, Sandypaw thought she saw something spark in Weedfoot's eyes as he gazed at her. The spark seemed familiar, somehow. Where had she seen it before...? She shivered. She didn't like it. Backing away, she bumped into a cat. Sandypaw looked up. A silver face stared back at her. Dewfeather.

"Hey," she mewed.

"Hey, Sandypaw," Dewfeather meowed back, twisting her head around and giving her ruffled fur a lick. "Did you know that Frecklecloud's going to have her kits today?"

Sandypaw blinked. "How do you know."

"Because she's so fat she's fit to burst!" Dewfeather replied, letting out a cheerful laugh. Sandypaw's gaze slid down to the silver she-cat's stomach. She could say the same thing for her too.

"Anyways," Dewfeather said, flicking her tail. She paused dramatically for a moment, then said, "Bye!"

Sandypaw stared at her as she turned away. "Ok..." she muttered.

Ginger fur brushed past her muzzle. Spitting it out, she stared at Bloodfeather who was prancing around with lilacs in his mouth. "What are you doing?"

"Giving out flowers," Bloodfeather meowed, his voice sounding strangely muffled. "Here's one for you." He dropped a purple lilac at her paws, then sat down and stared at a neaby tree.

"Exactly why is everyone acting crazy?" Sandypaw asked.

Bloodfeather shrugged. "Don't know. But then, I'm always acting crazy. See ya!" He stood and pranced off, dropping a lilac on Swirlstream's head. She hissed and swatted the lilac back at him with a dainty paw. It hit him full in the face, and he fell back. "Nooooooooooo!!" he meowed in slow motion, and then fell to the ground with his tongue hanging out.

Sandypaw rolled her eyes and padded over to the nursery. She meowed softly, "Frecklecloud?"

"Sandypaw." Bright green eyes shone out at Sandypaw from the darkness, and Sandypaw relaxed at the warm, familar voice.

Frecklecloud emerged from the shadows of the nursery, padding awkwardly towards Sandypaw. Sandypaw saw that Dewfeather hadn't actually been lying. The white cat was very plump.

"They'll be born soon," Frecklecloud meowed, as though reading Sandypaw's thoughts. "The kits, I mean."

As Sandypaw nodded, Pigeonkit raced out from the shadows and ran out of the den without stopping. He bumped straight into Lightningfur but his paws kept moving, his jaw set tight with determination. Amusement waved off from Lightningfur like a roll of thunder. He placed a paw on the kit's head and said, "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to patrol with my Dad," Pigeonkit announced proudly. "He's the deputy and one day he'll be the leader." He kneaded the ground with his paws. "I wanna be deputy!" he yowled.

"You're a bit too small for that now," Lightningfur purred. "Maybe later."

Pigeonkit nodded and raced back into the nursery, yowling, "I'm gonna be deputy! I'm gonna be deputy!"

Crystalkit popped her head out from behind Frecklecloud, her tail over her ears. "Keep it down, will you? Some cats are _trying _to sleep here!"

Streamkit's head appeared directly above Crystalkit's head. "And you can't be deputy, I will!"

"Wanna bet?" Pigeonkit growled playfully and leapt onto Streamkit. They tussled around the nursery, with Crystalkit calling out fighting tips. Frecklecloud shook her head. "No cat can get any peace in here!" she meowed loudly, but her eyes turned to a soft shade of violet, showing that she felt affection towards the tiny kits.

"Big liar," Sandypaw meowed, nudging Frecklecloud gently against her shoulder. Frecklecloud's eyes widened suddenly. "You know, I think I'll just lay down," she meowed softly, as though in a trance. She lay on the ground, eyes wide and staring. A leaf crunched beneath her, but she didn't seem to notice. Streamkit padded cautiously over. "What's wrong with Frecklecloud?"

Sandypaw's eyes had also begun to widen with realization as Frecklecloud began to groan. "Webclaw! Grayflower!" she yowled, running out of the den, with the three startled kits right on her tail. "They're coming! Frecklecloud's kits! They're coming!"

Webclaw's head poked out of the den, amber eyes filled with alarm. "What, now?" He slid out of the medicine den, calling quicly over his shoulder, "Grayflower, grab the herbs!"

Grayflower padded out, a wad of herbs clutched in her mouth. Cystalkit wailed, "Why won't anyone tell us what's going on!"

"Mousebrain!" Streamkit hissed. "Frecklecloud's giving birth!"

"Oh! We'll have some playmates!" Pigeonkit said happily. Streamkit rolled her eyes and ran alongside Sandypaw towards the nursery.

Inside the nursery, Frecklecloud was writhing in pain. Webclaw was leaning next to her, murmering words of encouragement, while Grayflower passed him the herbs he needed.

A ginger blur raced into the den, and Sandypaw turned to see Brackenfang behind her, looking alarmed. "What's happening? What's going on?" Then he looked at his mate, gasped, and rushed over to her side, pushing his nose in her fur. Sandypaw concluded that he had answered his own question.

"It'll be ok, Frecklecloud," Brackenfang murmered, licking her nose. Frecklecloud's eyes opened, and this time they were pink with love. "With you here, it will," she whispered, then winced as the first kit came. It slid out, a tiny ginger tom kit with snowy white flecks. Soon afterwards, a sandy colored she-kit with white flecks came. Frecklecloud tensed, and then yowled in pain as the third kit appeared. It slid out easily, but lay in an unmoving lump next to Frecklecloud. Frecklecloud took one look at it, wailed, and then began to lick it frantically. Sandypaw padded over to Grayflower's side, and they watched expectantly as Frecklecloud tried to make her kit breathe. And then, finally -

"It's breathing!" Brackenfang meowed, sighing in relief. He sank to his paws and licked Frecklecloud between the ears. Frecklecloud purred and nuzzled her kits to her belly.

Streamkit popped out suddenly. "What're you going to name them?"

Frecklecloud breathed softly, "The tom is Sparkkit, the sandy colored one is Peachkit, and the last one - " She paused, as though thinking. "And the last on is Birdkit," she finished, then closed her eyes and lay stretched out, so her kits could suckle.

Sandypaw watched Frecklecloud, trying not to show the pain in her eyes. She probably would never have a mate because of her Half-Clan heritage. And Flamefur had Snowyfeather, so what was the use of hoping for something she could never have? But how she wished some cat would look at her like that. Just not like Bloodfeather had...

She padded out of the nursery, deciding it was best to leave Frecklecloud alone with her mate and kits.

"Where're you going, Sandypaw?"

Sandypaw looked behind her, smiling at Streamkit. "Somewhere," she meowed quietly, then padded off into the forest with Streamkit looking after her retreating back.

Sandypaw settled down onto a tree root. She needed time to think. To be alone. She was just getting comfortable when a spotted ginger shape bowled into her. Sandypaw leapt up, bristling, then relaxed when she realized it was only Leopardpaw. She rolled her eyes. So much for being alone. "What are you doing here, Leopardpaw? Shouldn't you be with the patrol?"

Leopardpaw was panting hard, her sides heaving. Sandypaw noticed with alarm that Leopardpaw's eyes were wide with shock, and fear-scent was coming off of her. "We were - attacked - by a CloudClan patrol - " Leopardpaw struggled to talk, taking in great gasps of air. "Flamefur sent me - to warn the Clan - need extra warriors - Oakstar - hurt - " The she-cat stumbled over her paws and lay on the ground in a heap, still panting. Sandypaw meowed quickly, "Stay right there. I'll get some more warriors and Grayflower of Webclaw." She raced back into the camp and yowled, "A CloudClan patrol has attacked our dawn patrol!"

Cats' heads poked out of the dens, shocked meows erupting from their mouths. Willowheart glared at Sandypaw. "How do we know what you say is true?"

Sandypaw meowed impatiently, "No time to explain, you just have to believe me!"

As Willowheart gave her a doubtful look, Weedfoot stood up near the fresh-kill pile. "I believe Sandypaw. We must go right away!"

Lightningfur leapt to his paws. "Bearfoot, Shockfur, Wildfeather, Furryfall, Whisperwing, Ravenwhisker, Sandypaw, and Forestpaw will come with me."

"I want to come!"

Sandypaw turned to see Dewfeather rushing towards them, alarm in her eyes.

"You're pregnant," Wildfeather meowed to her, affection in his gaze. A thought sprung in Sandypaw's mind. Dewfeather had probably told Wildfeather that she was giving birth to his kits, to cover up the fact that her real mate was really a CloudClan warrior. Dewfeather uncomfortably shoved her muzzle into his flank. "I can manage fine, Wildfeather. Honestly."

"All right, just make sure you don't harm our kits," Wildfeather meowed softly. So Sandypaw had been right.

Lightningfur's tail twitched. "If you're through chit-chatting, maybe we can leave! Let's go!"

As the cats raced out of the camp, Sandypaw meowed hurriedly to Grayflower, "Leopardpaw's in shock, you'll need to treat her. She's near the camp entrance." Without waiting for a reply, she ran out of the camp, her paws pounding along the ground. Grass brushed up against her and she almost tripped over a thick tendril, but she managed to keep her balance. She caught up with Whisperwing, running alonside the small silver tabby she-cat. Whisperwing gave her a brief glance, but in that glance Sandypaw knew that the she-cat trusted her also. Sandypaw's heart soared. Maybe the other cats were starting to realize that she _was _loyal to FireClan! Her paws bursting with new energy, Sandypaw leapt over a fallen branch. The sound of yowling was getting very close to her ears. Furryfall moved up to her side, matching her stride. They looked at each other, and Sandypaw felt a wave of affection for her brother. She didn't want to lose him. Nodding at him, she burst through the bushes.

A yowl sounded beneath her. Sandypaw looked down to see that she had landed on Graystream, Applepool's old mentor and a former rogue. The gray tom glared at her with his amber eyes, his short tail twitching with irritation and his teeth bared in a snarl. Sandypaw flashed out a paw and dealt him a blow to the face. Graystream yowled and bucked Sandypaw off him, then ran off into CloudClan territory, his nose bleeding.

Sandypaw lashed her tail and spun around. Nearby, fighting was going on. It looked like almost all of CloudClan were here! Sandypaw narrowed her eyes, looking around for Pinestar. A gray tabby tom with burning orange eyes leapt on top of her. Sandypaw tried to break free of his grasp, but the tom ignored her, raising his paw and bringing it down to give her the death blow.

"Quailfeather, no!"

The tabby's paw froze in mid-air. Slowly he looked behind him, eyes wide with shock. "Dewfeather?" he whispered. "Wh - What are you doing here? Aren't you - ?"

"Yes, I am." Dewfeather pushed Quailfeather off Sandypaw, her eyes blazing, but Sandypaw noticed that her claws were sheathed.

"B - But what if the kits are hurt?" Quailfeather staggered to his paws, pretending to go into a fighting stance. Dewfeather growled while meowing, "I can take care of myself."

Quailfeather's eyes shone with admiration at he batted at her with sheathed paws. "That's why I fell in love with you in the first place."

So that was Dewfeather's mate. No wonder she had wanted to come. Sandypaw stood and quickly ran away from the "fighting" couple. Something heavy landed on Sandypaw's back. Sandypaw looked up into the face of Sootpaw. Sandypaw had met him at a Gathering before, and they had gotten along very well. "Sootclaw?"

"Yeah!" Sootclaw growled, though pain seared across his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, friend, but the Clan must come first!" He brought his paw down.

Something bowled into Sootclaw before the tom's claws could reach Sandypaw's throat. Sandypaw leapt to her paws and stared in shock as she realized who had rescued her. "Ravenwhisker? What the - ?"

Ravenwhisker panted, "You just gonna stand there like an idiot or are you gonna help me fight this lunatic?!"

Sandypaw raced over to help him, clawing at Sootclaw. The gray tom finally raced away with one eye closed and his paw bleeding. Ravenwhisker glared at Sandypaw. "You owe me!"

"I already did you a favor, I helped you fight off Sootclaw!"

Ravenwhisker kicked out at a silver tabby tom who Sandypaw remembered as Runningfoot. "Yeah, well, I didn't even want to help you in the first place!" Ravenwhisker growled. "It was just my conscience that made me do it!"

Sandypaw could tell Ravenwhisker was lying. Maybe their fighting had caused them to grow closer together. "Liar," she meowed teasingly before battering out at Petalstream, who had just landed onto her back. Ravenwhisker smiled, the first smile he had ever given Sandypaw. "Maybe I am." He grunted as Crowfoot, a smoky black tom, landed on him. They rolled away in a hissing, screeching ball.

Sandypaw looked around for Flamefur, her heart pounding. She saw him fighting the CloudClan deputy, Pouncefoot. Leaping over to his side, Sandypaw fought with him. Flamefur flashed her a grateful glance before continuing to fight the warrior. He and Sandypaw matched their battle moves, striking out at the same time, twirling into the air, and snapping their jaws onto their opponent. Pouncefoot yowled in pain, struggled out of their grasp, and raced back into CloudClan territory.

"Ha!" Sandypaw yowled after the retreating form. "Run away like a coward!"

Flamefur rested his tail on Sandypaw's shoulder. "The battle isn't over yet, Sandypaw." He jumped onto Smudgepelt's back, scoring his claws down the tom's tail. Smudgepelt hopped around in pain with Flamefur clinging onto him. Sandypaw probably would have thought this was funny if they hadn't been in the midst of a battle.

And then she saw Pinestar. He was clawing at Oakstar. The old FireClan leader fought back bravely, but Pinestar's strength was greater than his. The CloudClan leader pushed him to the ground and raked his claws across Oakstar's belly. Oakstar gasped, panting, as blood spilled out of the wound. Pinestar caterwauled in triumph. Obviously this was what the whole attack had been for. "Retreat, CloudClan!" he yowled, then leapt back into the bushes. His warriors followed him.

Sprucefoot and Glaciercloud appeared from the side, panting. Glaciercloud hissed in triumph. "We beat them!"

"No, we didn't," Sandypaw murmered, staring down at Oakstar's body. "They just came to kill one of our ranks."

Glaciercloud looked confused for a second, then saw Oakstar's body. She wailed in grief and pressed her nose to her former mentor's fur. Sprucefoot padded over and twined his tail around hers. "It's ok, Glaciercloud."

From behind them, Lightningfur growled with jealousy, his fur bristling. He looked at Glaciercloud with such longing that Sandypaw was surprised he didn't run over and mate with her.

Flamefur pushed through the FireClan cats and raced over to Oakstar's side, eyes wide with worry. "Oakstar?"

Oakstar grunted and slowly opened his eyes.

"You're alive!" Flamefur meowed happily. "Now we'll just get you back to camp and Webclaw will treat you."

Oakstar blinked. "No need," he meowed hoarsely. "A medicine cat won't help me now."

"What?" Flamefur's eyes widened.

A glazed look came in Oakstar's eyes. "I will soon join our warrior ancestors."

"No," Flamefur whispered. Behind him, Glaciercloud continued to sob.

Oakstar raised his head, wincing with pain, but his gaze did not waver from Flamefur's. "Flamefur, I have taught you many things. I am proud to have been your mentor and always will be, even in StarClan. You are just like your father, and your mother, too."

Flamefur bowed his head.

Oakstar's gaze shifted to Glaciercloud. "Do not weep, Glaciercloud. I have taught you many things also, and I was proud to be your mentor."

Glaciercloud dipped her head, sniffling.

Oakstar looked back up at Flamefur, laying his head back on the ground. "You will be a great leader, Flamefur," he panted, his chest heaving with the effort of talking. "You will lead your Clan through hardships and survive, you will win many battles, and you shall have many descendants. You shall be Flamestar, the greatest leader FireClan will ever see."

Flamestar nodded, eyes blazing with determination and sadness. "I promise that I will, and your memory will live on in the hearts of the FireClan warriors."

Oakstar gasped and writhed along the ground. When he finally managed to keep still, he gasped out, "And tell the prophecy cat that she will one day be the most respected warrior in our Clan. And that I have... misjudged her." The light in Oakstar's eyes were beginning to die out. "I have learned that it does not matter who you are or where you are from, but that what's inside our hearts is what matters." His penatrating stare turned to Sandypaw, and he blinked his eyes slowly. Sandypaw was shocked at the respectful look in his eyes, and she bowed her head to him. Why had he looked at her like that? What did it mean? Something at the back of her mind began to bug her, as though she really did know what he was talking about, but she couldn't understand what that something was trying to tell her. Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she stared back at Oakstar, who was drawing his last breath. "I am proud of you, Flamefur." Sighing, the old leader closed his eyes and rested his head on his paws. All breathing stopped, and his body went limp. Flamefur pushed his nose into Oakstar's creamy brown fur, then stood, his eyes perfectly dry. "We must get back to camp and have all your wounds treated."

He grasped Oakstar's scruff and carried the limp body away. The rest of the Clan followed him. Sandypaw padded next to Wildfeather, who was looking around wildly. "Where's Dewfeather?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm right here." Dewfeather padded out from behind some bushes, looking tired. Instinct told Sandypaw immediately what the she-cat had been doing, but she bit her lip and kept silent. Wildfeather rubbed against Dewfeather, then followed the other cats. Once Wildfeather was out of hearing range, Dewfeather spat. "I honestly can't stand it when he does that!"

"Why tell him that you're having his kits, then, if they're really Quailfeather's?" Sandypaw countered.

Dewfeather's eyes widened. "How do you know about Quailfeather?"

"Like it was hard to guess, with you and Quaifeather "fighting" and saying little lovey-dovey words," Sandypaw teased.

Dewfeather chuckled. "So what happened? Did we beat CloudClan?"

"Yes and no," Sandypaw answered.

"Huh?"

"We made CloudClan retreat, but they only attacked to do what they wanted to do."

"Which was what?" Dewfeather's tail twitched.

"Kill Oakstar," Sandypaw mewed dully.

"What!?" Dewfeather let out a shocked mewl. So Sandypaw told her the story as they padded back to camp. As they entered the bramble thicket, cats raced out of the dens to greet them.

"So how was the battle?" Grasspaw asked, racing over to Forestpaw's side.

"It was awesome!" Forestpaw panted.

Sandypaw grinned. Toms.

Then Flamefur came into the camp behind all the others, Oakstar's limp body in his mouth. Shocked murmurs passed throughout the awaiting cats, and soon the news had spread that Oakstar was dead.

As everyone gathered around the leader's body, a yowl sounded from the elders den. Pawflower rushed over Oakstar's dead form and pressed her nose into his fur, wailing. Halfear came up beside her, his normally stern and bad-tempered eyes sad and shocked. Berrystream, Oakstar's sister, went beside Pawflower and nudged her brother, as though hoping he would get up. When he did not move, she closed her eyes and laid down beside him.

Flamefur looked at the cats and meowed slowly, "You all know that Oakstar's dead, so now we must - "

"He was my son!" Pawflower wailed.

Almost every cat in the clearing except for Halfear and Berrystream looked startled. Oakstar was Pawflower and Halfear's son?

Pawflower looked up at the cats, as though she had just realized she had said that out loud. Taking a deep breath, she meowed, "When I was an apprentice, I fell in love with Halfear."

"Yes, I remember that," Shockfur meowed. "Everyone knows that."

"While I was an apprentice, I gave birth to two kits." Pawflower bowed her head as angry yowls began to sound. "As an apprentice!?"

"Silence!" Flamefur caterwauled, waving his tail. The clearing went quiet.

Pawflower continued. "When I gave birth, I had no milk. I gave my two kits to Oceanwind, a beautiful ginger tabby, to suckle alongside her own kit, Starrykit. I made her promise to tell them one day that I was their mother and Halfear was their father. She kept her promise. She was a great cat, which wasn't really a surprise. Her mother, Vividleaf, saved the whole Clan, and Oceanwind's daughter was Flamefur's own mother."

Flamefur looked taken aback.

Berrystream opened her eyes. "Oceanwind was a great mother. When she told us that Pawflower was our real mother and that Fishflash wasn't our father - "

"Who's Fishflash?" Deeppaw piped up, but was silenced by a stern glare from Fogpelt.

" - Oakstar and I were devastated. But we learned to accept that Pawflower and Halfear were our real parents." Berrystream closed her eyes again. There was silence, which was broken only by Grasspaw, who snorted and meowed loudly, "And _why _exactly were we told this?"

"In memory of Oakstar," Flamefur answered for him. "Now we shall sit vigil for him." He sat next to Oakstar and pressed his nose into the tom's fur. Other cats joined him.

Sandypaw stood off to one side with Duskpaw and Deeppaw. She saw that Duskpaw was looking at Cloverwing instead of Oakstar.

"What'cha doing?" she asked.

Duskpaw didn't seem to hear her. She padded over to Cloverwing and meowed slowly, "Cloverwing, I'm really, really sorry I snapped at you and said that I hate you. I - I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I think Sparkflower probably would like it if you were Fogpelt's mate."

Cloverwing stared at her, her eyes narrowed. Then she smiled. "I accept your apology. But never do that again."

"I won't," Duskpaw meowed, then padded over to Oakstar's body and sat down beside his body.

"That was a bit unexpected," Deeppaw meowed. Sandypaw nodded, then turned around to say hello to Bloodfeather, who was trying to sneak up on her.

"I thought I had gotten you that time!" Bloodfeather growled.

Sandypaw ignored him. "Guess what? Something weird happened during the battle." She told him about Ravenwhisker actually helping her.

"Ravenwhisker? Are you trying to tell me a joke or something?" Bloodfeather looked astonished in a comical way.

"Nope."

"Did I hear my name?" Ravenwhisker padded over to them, looking curious.

Sandypaw nodded. "I guess so..."

"Ok," the tom meowed, then walked away.

Sandypaw turned to Bloodfeather. "Do you get a feeling that FireClan is going crazy?"

"No."

Sandypaw sighed. "Well, some of FireClan are."

Just then, Flamefur stood up beside Oakstar's body. "I would like to stay longer, but I must go to the MoonCrystal before sunhigh."

Everyone nodded. Flamefur padded over to Sandypaw. "You're coming with me."

"Huh?" Sandypaw exclaimed.

"You're the only apprentice who hasn't gone yet," Flamefur meowed calmly. "Every apprentice has to go, and you've been an apprentice for a long time."

Sandypaw almost jumped up with excitement. The MoonCrystal! She had never gone to see it before. And now she was going, with Flamefur right by her side.

"Sandypawwww?"

Sandypaw shook her head and looked up at Flamefur. "Can we go now?"

"Yes, that's what I was trying to tell you," Flamefur meowed, his eyes shimmering with amusement. "Let's go." He flicked his tail and padded out of the camp. Sandypaw followed, not even wincing as the brambles pricked at her pelt. They raced across their territory, past the trees and into a rocky area of land. Flamefur turned to Sandypaw and meowed, "We'll have to climb up here to get to the StarryCave. It'll be a long way up, so be careful and watch your step. There are many gaps up here." He bunched his muscles and sprang up onto an overhanging rock, gripping it tightly for a pawhold and then moving onto the next rock. Sandypaw felt admiration pulse through her as she leapt up onto the rock, scrabbling its hard rough surface with her claws and finally pushing herself over. Panting, she stood, her chest heaving. Up above, Flamefur paused and looked down at her. "You ok?"

"I'm fine!" Sandypaw called. Setting her jaw with determination, she lunged at another rock, gasping as she slipped and lost her pawhold. Immediately Flamefur was at her side, grasping her scruff with his teeth and clinging on. Sandypaw had a vivid image of herself hanging over Falling Cliffs with Flamefur pulling her back over. She kicked upward with her hind paws and landed next to Flamefur. She lay, panting, on the hard cold rock. When she finally regained her breath and looked up at Flamefur again, the ginger tom was looking at her with sympathy in his green eyes. "You'll get the hang of it soon, Sandypaw."

Sandypaw nodded. Flamefur scrabbled back up the rocks. Sandypaw followed him. As she got used to climbing up the rocks, Sandypaw was surprised to discover that she managed the climb with ease, leaping from one rock to another without hesitation. She reached the top of the cliff before Flamefur, beaming with pride as he came up and congratulated her. "You handled that very well," he praised.

Sandypaw felt her ears go hot. Looking away, she mumbled, "Thanks."

Flamefur flicked his tail forward. "Look."

Sandypaw looked ahead of her and gasped. Ahead of her was a gaping cave, wide and treacherous. Lichen hung from the top of the cave, winding down all the way to the hard rocky ground. Sandypaw gulped. It looked very foreboding. Flamefur flicked his tail against her flank. "I know it looks scary, and I was creeped out too when I first saw it. But you'll get over it."

Sandypaw nodded, then felt her stomach growl with hunger. "Is it ok for me to eat?"

"Yes," Flamefur meowed. "The clouds are covering the moon, so I must wait without eating."

Sandypaw turned around and pricked her ears, looking for prey. When she had finished she had caught a vole and a mouse. She ate oth of them in quick famished gulps, cleaning her whiskers. A shaft of moonlight made her ginger fur shine silver, and she looked up, her eyes wide with excitement. They were going to go see the MoonCrystal now! She couldn't wait.

Flamefur stood up. "After you."

Sandypaw hesitated. She couldn't shake off the feeling that, as the lichen swayed slowly in the wind, a voice was whispering her name, calling her to enter the cave. Sandypaw finally padded forward. Flamefur followed. Their pelts brushed slightly. The two jumped jumped aside, staring at each other awkwardly. Sandypaw managed a feeble grin. "Hehe..."

Flamefur shook his head. "I'll just forget that ever happened." He walked ahead, then paused. "I'll lead the way from here. And never take your eyes off me!"

He raced forward, Sandypaw running after him. She kept a close watch on his tail as they went deeper into the StarryCave. Sandypaw tried to see ahead of her, but the darkness was closing in. The only thing she could see was a ginger tail right ahead of her. Sandypaw continued to run. Just when she thought her paws would fall off, Flamefur came to a sudden stop. Sandypaw bumped into him, then got up, feeling dazed. She looked around. It was still dark. A hole in the top of the rocky roof revealed a glimpse of the dark indigo sky. Clouds once again covered the moon.

"Just wait," Flamefur meowed quietly.

Sandypaw sat down and waited, tense. Suddenly, the clouds parted. A shaft of moonlight shone through the hole, lighting on a tall, blue crystal with pinkish tinges. The light reflected off the crtsal, making a rosy glow spread throughout the cave. Sandypaw gasped. the MoonCrystal! Flamefur beckoned for her to stay there and padded forward toward the crystal. He settled down next to it and pressed his nose against it's hard surface. Soon, his steady breathing told Sandypaw he was asleep. Although Flamefur had told her to stay where she was, Sandypaw couldn't help but feel curious. She walked forward, lay down next to Flamefur, and pressed her nose against the crystal. then she closed her eyes and waited for dreams to come. She felt her world whirl around her. Wind rushed against her face, but Sandypaw didn't open her eyes. And then it went quiet. Sandypaw opened one eyes. She was at FourClaws, in the clearing where the Great Tree stood. One other cat was sitting next to the tree. It was Flamefur. Sandypaw rushed over to him.

Flamefur's eyes widened. "Sandypaw?"

"I'm sorry I didn't obey you - " Sandypaw began.

"No, it's all right," Flamefur mewed softly. "It'd be good to have a Clanmate next to me while this happens."

Sandypaw nodded, then narrowed her eyes to slits as a bright light glowed in front of her face. Beside her, Flamefur tensed up. Sandypaw sat calmly, licking her paw. She had seen this already before.

The cats of StarClan poured out of the sky, their fur shimmering with stars as they landed lightly on the sandy ground. Sparkflower padded up to Sandypaw and nuzzled her. "Sandypaw."

"It's good to see you again, Sparkflower," Sandypaw purred. She then noticed Flamefur looking oddly at her, and her ginger fur grew hot as she realized she probably sounded as though she had talked to Sparkflower just yesterday. Sandypaw looked around. Many of the cats she recognized, seeing as she had seen them before. There was Twigtail, and Sparkflower, of course, Firestar, Sparrowstar, and Starrycloud. she looked around for Oakstar, but could not see him.

"Flamefur," meowed Firestar, his eyes shining with wisdom. He padded forward and flicked the ginger tom with his tail. "You have come."

Flamefur's eyes widened. "You're - You're - " he stammered.

"Yes, I know, I'm Firestar." Firestar blinked warmly. "You know about my mate, Sandstorm?"

As he spoke, a ginger she-cat came to stand by his side. She dipped her head. "It's good to finally meet you, Flamefur," she meowed kindly. Sandypaw stared at Sandstorm, who turned to watch Sandypaw. "It's also good to meet you, Sandypaw. I've been hoping I could see you one day."

Sandypaw smiled at Sandstorm, amazed and pleased that she was meeting a she-cat who had been in one of the first Clans ever.

"Are we going to do the ceremony or not!?" Sparrowstar growled.

"Patience, Sparrowstar," Firestar meowed calmly. "Patience. We must wait."

Sandypaw cocked her head. What were they waiting for? She got her answer quickly. A small pale gray kit appeared suddenly in a spark of light. It raised its head and whimpered. "Where am I? Where's my mother?"

A white she-cat with golden splotches hurried towards the kit, licking it comfortingly on the shoulder. Sandypaw recognized Daisycloud, Pinestar's old mate. "You are in StarClan, Graykit. Honeyflower is not here." Her eyes shone sadly as she spoke of Honeyflower, Pinestar's new mate.

"But I don't want to be in StarClan!" Graykit wailed.

A small white she-kit and a golden tom peered from behind Daisycloud. "Mother, is that the kit you were telling us about?" the golden tom asked Daisycloud. The she-cat nodded. "Icykit, Gorsekit, this is Graykit, your new playmate."

Graykit sniffled, then stood up. "Can we... play now?"

"Sure!" Icykit mewed, grinning. Graykit giggled and ran over to another area with the two kits following him.

"_Now _can we start!?" Sparrowstar snarled. Firestar nodded and stood back. There was silence, and then a light brown tom with wide gray paws padded forward, his amber eyes gleaming brightly as he sat down next to Flamefur and bowed his head.

"Stonestep!" Flamefur gasped.

Stonestep smiled warmly. "I remember you, too, Flamefur. We had so much fun together as apprentices, you, me, and Lightningfur." He pressed his muzzle against Flamefur's forehead. "With this life I give you strength, so that you may serve your Clan without doubt."

Sandypaw watched with wide eyes as Flamefur began to writh along the ground. He finally stood, panting. Stonestep had rejoined the group of StarClan cats, and now another cat padded forth, a beautiful tabby she-cat with warm green eyes. Flamefur rushed forward, purring. "Glistenpool!"

Glistenpool gazed at him, her eyes soft as she looked him in the eye. "Flamefur..." she murmered, then pressed her muzzle against Flamefur's forehead. "With this life I give you perseverance, so that you may be patient and understanding with any cat in need." Flamefur now stood quietly, then suddenly began to bend his head, his eyes squinted in pain. The second life left him panting again. Glistenpool licked his ear softly, then padded back to join the other StarClan cats.

Twigtail now stepped forward. He bounded over to Flamefur's side. "Good to see you again, Flamefur!"

Flamefur dipped his head respectfully. Twigtail turned to grin at Sandypaw. "Good to see you again, too. You know, if Flamefur didn't have a mate, you two would make a perfect - "

"Twigtail, you're getting distracted again!" Sparrowstar growled irritably.

Sandypaw shuffled her paws in embarrassment, while Flamefur just stared at Twigtail, looking shocked.

Twigtail shrugged. "Whatever." He pressed his muzzle against Flamefur's forehead. "With this life I give you good humor, so that you may always have a good side through serious situations." Flamefur stood, chuckling softly at something no one else could see. As Twigtail padded away, Sparrowstar cuffed the tom over the ear. "That is the first life I have not approved with for the whole time I've been in StarClan!"

"Give it a rest, Sparrowstar. Sheesh!" Twigtail went to stand by Sparkflower. Sparkflower in turn walked up to Flamefur and bowed her head, her muzzle against his forehead. "With this life I give you faithfulness, so that you may never turn your back away from from your Clan." Flamefur looked like he was holding back a screech. Sandypaw bit her lip, watching as Flamefur sank to the ground. Sparkflower padded off, leaving Flamefur panting.

Another cat went up to Flamefur's side, this time a ginger tabby she-cat with white paws, a white tail tip, a white belly, and a white muzzle. Flamefur's eyes widened. "You look familar..."

"Silly furball," the she-cat purred. "Of course I look familiar! Use your brain."

"Oceanwind," Flamefur whispered. His eyes lit up. "I saw you when I first came here as an apprentice! I - "

Oceanwind pressed her tail over his mouth. "Shh, one day we might talk about such things, but not now." She repeated what the others had done, meowing softly, "With this life I give you protection, so that you may defend your Clan from any danger, whether it be a rival Clan or any other animal." Flamefur closed his eyes tightly and sank his claws into the ground. Sandypaw felt pity for him.

Another cat went forth, another ginger cat with vivid green eyes.

"Hello, Vividleaf," Flamefur meowed. Vividleaf dipped her head. "With this life I give you knowledge, so that you may make wise decisions and do what you think is best." Flamefur seemed calm, though his claws still sank into the ground.

Firestar now padded forward. He smiled and laid his muzzle on Flamefur's head. "With this life I give you loyalty. Use it well, especially in your Clan's time of need." Flamefur closed his eyes, his whole body tensing up.

Two lives left. Sandypaw cast an anxious glance at Flamefur, although instinct told her he would be fine.

Next came Starrycloud. The white spots on her fur gleamed so that they looked exactly like the stars in Silverpelt. Flamefur looked at her, his face curious. "Who are you?"

Starrycloud purred, bent down, and licked Flamefur's ear. "I am your mother."

"Starrycloud?" Flamefur's voice sounded hoarse, as if he was having a hard time trying to take this all in. He took a deep breath, pressing his muzzle into her fur. Starrycloud laid her muzzle on her son's head, murmering, "With this life I give you love, so you may find a true mate to share the rest of your life with." Her gaze landed on Sandypaw as she said this, her green eyes twinkling knowingly. Sandypaw looked at her paws. Meanwhile, Flamefur just stood there with his muzzle pressed into Starrycloud's chest fur. Then he looked up. "What do you mean, so that I may find a true mate? My mate is Snowyfeather."

Starrycloud glanced at Sandypaw again, which made Sandypaw study her paws once more. "You will find out in time, my son." With a last lick to his ear, she padded away.

Flamefur sat up, waiting. The cats of StarClan suddenly turned their heads and parted to make room for another cat. The cat bounded soundlessly towards them, coming to a stop at Flamefur's side.

"Oakstar!" Flamefur meowed happily.

Oakstar chuckled. Sandypaw noticed with amazement that the tom looked completely young again, with long, lean muscles and a broad smile on his face. "Flamefur, I'm proud of you. You have showed the Clan many times over that you deserve this." He pressed his muzzle against Flamefur's forehead, saying, "With this life I give you leadership. Use it well to lead your Clan through the hard times, the good times, and the bad times." Flamefur's eyes seemed to glow, and he tilted his head upward to face Oakstar.

"I hail you by your new name, Flamestar," Oakstar proclaimed. "Your old life is no more. You have now received the nine lives of a leader, and StarClan grants you the guardianship of FireClan. Defend it well; care for young and old; honor your ancestors and the traditions of the warrior code; live each life with pride and dignity."

"Flamestar, Flamestar!" StarClan chanted, their voices mingling until they formed one single voice. "Flamestar, Flamestar!"

"Flamestar!" Sandypaw meowed, joining in. She raced over to Flamestar, looking up at him. Flamestar smiled back down at her. Oakstar, who still stood in front of them, bowed his head to Sandypaw. "I am sorry."

"For what?" Sandypaw meowed.

"For misjudging you," Oakstar mewed, closing his eyes and opening them again. "You shall be a great warrior, no matter what your heritage is or what you do. You will earn the respect of every cat, I promise you that." He dipped his head to them both, then backed away. The cats who had given Flamestar his nine lives stood in the front of all the others, standing tall and straight. Slowly, they began to fade. Sandypaw watched them go until blackness settled over FourClaws. Everything disappeared, and Sandypaw woke.

* * *

**Aha! Bet you didn't expect Ravenwhisker to become friends with Sandypaw! Neither did I, but I wanted to make something really weird and interesting at the same time happen. That fit the bill. And this happened with me once. This kid and I used to fight all the time, and now we're the best of friends. (shrugs)**

**Duskpaw finally made friends with Cloverwing...**

**Dewfeather's mate is Quailfeather and Wildfeather thinks that her kits are his. Sprucefoot and Lightningfur both have a crush on Glaciercloud. I found this very interesting...**

**WOOH! Flamestar's leader! YAY! (does the disco dance) **

**Anyone want to guess what the deal is between Glistenpool and Flamestar? (wink)**

**I am giving out Oakstar plushies! He really deserves it. And I'm also giving out Sage plushies. You know, Sage, my cat. She was my first cat ever, and she was the best cat in the whole world. She gave me so much... So Sage plushies and Oakstar plushies if you review!**


	16. Chapter 14

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Hi everyone! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!! After this, the story's done! (cries) Ok, so everyone who reviewed gets pkushies!! (throws out plushies) Sorry if the chapter is so short, but I'm going on vacation and leaving in two days, so we have to pack. It's very tense. Anyways, here are REVIEW ANSWERS!!

**Grassy Leaves - I definitely have tricks up my sleeve, you can count on that...**

**Rainstar Leader of DragonClan - Snowyfeather won't take a hike. SHE'LL TAKE A WALK THROUGH A SEA OF PIHRANNAS!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! (pause) Is that how you spell pihranna?**

**The Underwater Seahorse - Flamestar's an awesome name, I know! (beams)**

**ThrushflightEdward'sStalker - I'm still gonna call you Thrushflight, since I'm used to it. Close, veeery close...**

**Lilyheart Medicine Cat - I bet 1,000,000!! Even though I don't have that much.**

**Allan Pike - They were crazy because... um... I've got nothing. Oh, and if you review, I might not answer your review all the time, so don't complain about it. This goes for EVERYONE.**

**Mudheart - Unfortunately, this chappie isn't as long as the last one... (looks sad)**

**Rushingriver - Thanx!**

**Golden Fox - (shrugs) Can't tell you anything, you'll just have to find out. (grins)**

**Cinnamonpool - Great compliment! Thankees! Nice name btw. I love cinnamon... (dreamy look)**

**So here's the chappie! It's short, but it's the last one, so please R&R! :D**

* * *

Sandypaw opened hr eyes to find herself back by the MoonCrystal. The light of the moon had died out, making it dark once more. Sandypaw spotted Flamestar just getting up. He flicked his tail for her to follow him. They headed silently back out of the StarryCave. Sandypaw noticed for the first time that tiny gems were embedded in the stone of the StarryCave. That must have given it its name.

They stepped out of the cave. The moon had gone from the sky, and the light of the sun was just beginning to show. Sandypaw burst out, "That was so cool!"

Flamestar smiled at her. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?" He looked up at the sky. "We should be getting back to camp. I need to appoint a deputy before sunhigh."

Sandypaw padded forward, trying to ignore the fact that her fur brushed against Flamestar's. He stiffened. Sandypaw winced. She guessed he felt awkward around her too. And Twigtail hadn't helped things one bit.

They raced through the trees, their paws slamming down against the dusty ground. They came to a stop near the bramble thicket. Flamestar stepped back. "After you."

"But you're the Clan leader. You should go first," Sandypaw meowed.

Flamestar's eyes glinted in amusement. "But she-cats always go first," he reminded her. Sandypaw nodded in reply and padded into the camp.

The first thing Sandypaw noticed was that a loud cry was coming from the nursery. The second thing she noticed was that Wildfeather was looking very worried. The third thing she noticed was that Snowyfeather was growling in her face. Oh, come on. Why'd she have to deal with this _now_?

Snowyfeather meowed, "Hello, Half-Clan." Then she turned to Flamestar. "Hello, Flamefur."

"Flamestar," Flamestar meowed gently, nuzzling his mate. Sandypaw bit back a growl. Snowyfeather looked at her, her eyes gleaming, and Sandypaw felt a burst of something like fear. Did Snowyfeather know that she loved Flamestar?

Streamkit, Pigeonkit, and Crystalkit raced up. "Dad!" they yelled.

"Guess what?" Pigeonkit meowed. "Dewfeather's giving birth!"

That explained the first two things she had noticed. Without another word, Sandypaw raced into the nursery.

Dewfeather was writhing in pain. Already, a light brown tabby she-kit with a silver chest and paws was lying next to Dewfeather. Beside Dewfeather, Wildfeather licked the kit softly with gentle rasps of his tongue. Dewfeather shrieked in pain and glanced at the bushes. Sandypaw followed her gaze and gasped. Burning orange eyes stared at her out of the bushes. The orange eyes blinked at her, then watched as Dewfeather gave birth to a gray tabby she-kit. Dewfeather closed her eyes and sank her claws into the ground. On her other side, Grayflower and Webclaw were watching to make sure nothing happened. Another kit appeared, a silver tom with black markings over his eyes and a white stripe on his forehead.

The final kit came. It was a small light brown she-kit with wide open amber eyes. Sandypaw stared. Open eyes already. Wow.

Dewfeather licked the last kit and nudged it towards her belly. From the bushes, the orange eyes gleamed with... pride? Sandypaw suddenly had a hunch and leapt into the bushes. A gray tabby cat stared back at her, startled. It was Quailfeather.

"Are you going to turn me in?" Quailfeather growled.

"No," Sandypaw meowed simply.

"No?" Quailfeather asked. He seemed to relax. "You won't tell anyone?"

"No," Sandypaw repeated. "You're Dewfeather's real mate, right?"

"Yes," Quailfeather sighed. "I suppose she told you, huh?"

Sandypaw nodded.

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes and Wildfeather jumped beside Sandypaw. His fur was bristling. "Sandypaw! I smelled - " He stopped short when he saw Quailfeather. "CloudClan!" he finished, snarling. Quailfeather curled his lip at Wildfeather and slashed out at him. Wildfeather grabbed him by the scruff and carried Quailfeather into the nursery.

"Sandypaw found a CloudClan cat in the bushes," Wildfeather growled.

Dewfeather gasped. "Quailfeather!" Then her eyes widened as she realized what she had said. Sandypaw stared helplessly. She had been discovered.

Wildfeather growled at Dewfeather. "You know this cat!?"

Dewfeather stood up and meowed firmly, "Yes, I do."

Sandypaw groaned.

Wildfeather's eyes narrowed. "Come with me," he growled to Quailfeather, and padded out of the den with Quailfeather. Sandypaw followed, while Dewfeather stayed in the nursery with her kits and the medicine cats.

"Flamestar!" Wildfeather meowed, tugging Quailfeather along. "I found this CloudClan cat in our camp!"

Flamestar looked down calmly. "And what was he doing?"

"I don't know," Wildfeather admitted.

Quailfeather hesitated. "I wasn't doing anything."

"Really?" Wildfeather asked sarcastically. "What, did you think this was your camp or something?"

"Wildfeather, stop!" Everyone turned to see Dewfeather race out of the nursery and stand by Quailfeather. She looked around at her Clanmates, pain in her eyes. "I can't lie anymore." She bowed her head. "Quailfeather is... my mate. My kits are his."

Mumurs passed throughout the watching cats.

Wildfeather stared at Dewfeather, his eyes wide with shock. "But... But you said I was your mate. That the kits were mine."

"Don't you get it?" Dewfeather growled. "I lied! I lied so that no one would know about Quailfeather and me! I do love you, Wildfeather, but only like a friend."

Wildfeather just stared at her, then turned and glared at Quailfeather. "You!"

"Me?" Quailfeather asked innocently.

"Yes, you!" Wildfeather hissed, unsheathing his claws. "You stole my mate!"

"I never stole your mate!" Quailfeather snapped back. "She was mine from the start! I came here to see our kits!"

Wildfeather bristled and hissed at the gray tabby. Quailfeather unsheathed his own claws and tensed his muscles, ready to pounce.

"Stop!" Flamestar yowled in a clear voice. He looked at them. "I want no fighting in this camp."

Wildfeather stepped back reluctantly. Flamestar padded over to Dewfeather and paused by her. "You love Quailfeather, yes?" he asked quietly. Dewfetaher nodded, pressing herself against her mate.

Flamestar asked, "And you wish to stay with him, yes?"

Dewfeather hesitated, then nodded.

Flamestar turned. "Dewfeather has made her decision. She wants to stay with Quailfeather." He turned back to Dewfeather. "Dewfeather, I sentence you a rogue. You are part of FireClan no more. Take your kits and go with Quailfeather."

Dewfeather meowed happily, "Thank you!" Then she rushed to the nursery. Quailfeather stayed in front of Flamestar, his head bowed. "Thank you, Flamestar. I doubt Pinestar would be happy when he finds out, so I will be a rogue with Dewfeather also."

Flamestar dipped his head.

Dewfeather came out of the nursery with two kits in her mouth. Grayflower carried the other two. Sandypaw watched, then padded up to Dewfeather.

Dewfeather gently placed her kits on the ground, then turned to look at Sandypaw. She dipped her head. "Good bye, Sandypaw."

"Bye," Sandypaw meowed, her voice cracking. She placed her muzzle on Dewfeather's shoulder. Dewfeather smiled, patted her with her tail, then took a step back and picked up her kits. With Quailfeather carrying the other two, they walked to the bramble thicket. Wildfeather snarled as they brushed past him, but said nothing. And then Dewfeather, Quailfeather, and the kits were gone. A gentle breeze blew over the FireClan cats. It was as though Dewfeather, Quailfeather, and the kits had never been there.

Flamestar looked at everyone else, then up at the sky. He leapt onto the HighBoulder and yowled out, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the HighBoulder for a Clan meeting!"

Cats who had not been out in the clearing already gathered by the big rock. Tanfeather went up to Sandypaw's side and sat down next to her.

"For those of you who don't know, Dewfeather has left the Clan with her kits," Flamestar meowed. There were a few snarls, mostly from Wildfeather, but otherwise it was mostly murmurs of shock and grief. Sandypaw pressed her nose into her mother's fur. Tanfeather licked her ear soothingly.

"As it is almost sunhigh," Flamestar meowed. "I must appoint a new deputy." He paused. Every cat waited expectantly.

"I say this before the spirit of Oakstar, that he may hear and approve my choice," Flamestar meowed. He looked up. "Lightningfur shall be the new deputy of FireClan."

Lightningfur stared at Flamestar, shocked. Every cat chanted Lightningfur's name as Lightningfur leapt up to stand beside Flamestar. "This is an honor I never thought I'd have," Lightningfur stammered. "Thank you Flamestar. I'll do my best to serve the Clan."

Flamestar dipped his head, smiling. "Anything for a good friend of mine."

Lightningfur padded down the HighBoulder, still looking shocked. Glaciercloud raced up to him and mewed happily, "Congrats. Lightningfur!" She licked his ear. Lightningfur seemed stunned, but then he purred and licked her back.

Flamestar, who was still on the HighBoulder, waited until the noise had settled down. "And now I have one more duty to do," he meowed. "I must make three kits apprentices."

Pigeonkit, Crystalkit, and Streamkit bounded out of the nursery, looking excited. They raced up the HighBoulder and stood by their father, bouncing up and down.

Flamestar looked down at them. "Pigeonkit."

Pigeonkit stepped forward, his eyes wide.

"Whisperwing, you shall be mentor to Pigeonpaw," Flamestar meowed. "Whisperwing, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of cunning and quick thinking. Pass on all these skills to Pigeonpaw."

Pigeonpaw and Whisperwing touched noses, then padded down.

"Crystalkit," Flamestar called.

Crystalkit padded up, her legs shaking.

"Furryfall, you shall be mentor to Crystalpaw," Flamestar meowed. "Furryfall, you are a warrior of skill and ferocity. Pass on these skills to your apprentice." Furryfall and Crystalpaw touched noses, then padded down.

"Streamkit," Flamestar called.

Streamkit padded up to her father, her head raised and her eyes shining brightly.

"Shrubfoot, you shall be mentor to Streampaw," Flamestar meowed, looking at his daughter. "Shrubfoot, you have shown yourself to be a warrior of courage and faith. Pass on all these qualities to your apprentice."

Streampaw gazed at Shrubfoot, her eyes wide. Then, shaking her head, she touched noses with him and padded off the HighBoulder. She looked a bit dazed.

"Pigeonpaw! Crystalpaw! Streampaw!" The Clan chanted. Sndypaw rushed over to congratulate the kits, Furryfall, Whisperwing, and Shrubfoot. Then she looked around to see if Snowyfeather was celebrating too. She was shocked when she saw the Snowyfeather was sitting in the midle of the clearing, staring at her kits with cold, hard eyes. She made no effort to go up and congratulate them. She just sat there. Sandypaw narrowed her eyes. What kind of mother did Snowyfeather think she was?

She padded over to Streampaw. "Congratulations," she meowed again for the third time.

"You already old me that," Streampaw reminded her. Sandypaw nodded distractedly. She turned and looked around, trying to ignore Snowyfeather. Glaciercloud was standing by Lightningfur, Sprucefoot was glaring at the pair, Shrubfoot was padding over to his new apprentice, and Frailwing looked fat. Sandypaw cocked her head. Apparently they had another pregnant she-cat. And then she saw Swirlstream, who was purring beside Blazefur. She shook her head. Swirlstream was fat, too. How many kits would they be having?

"Hiya!" Duskpaw mewed cheerfully, coming up to Sandypaw's side.

"Ok, what's up?" Sandypaw asked suspiciously.

"Nothing's up," Duskpaw meowed, a huge smile on her face.

"When you act that cheerful, something's up. I don't know if it's good or bad, but what is it?"

Duskpaw's smile went down a little, but it was still there as she replied, "Cloverwing's pregnant!"

"And... you're happy about that?" Sandypaw cocked her head.

"Duh!" Duskpaw exclaimed. Sandypaw shook her head. It amazed her how much Duskpaw had changed.

In the nursery, the squeals of kits sounded. Frecklecloud's voice shouted, "Birdkit! Get back here!"

Birdkit, the small white kit with black and brown flecks, raced out of the nursery and over to her father, where she planted herself firmly on the ground. Brackenfang laughed. "And what are you doing here?"

"I wanna be a warrior!" Birdkit squeaked. "Like you!"

"Every kit wants to be a warrior," Brackenfang meowed gently.

Sandypaw watched the two cats, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Snowyfeather rubbing herself against Flamestar. Sandypaw glowered silently. Sometimes she just wanted to rip Snowyfeather's fur out. Wait, sometimes? No. _All the time._

Sandypaw turned away and padded slowly into the apprentice's den. She looked around. It seemed do empty, so familiar. Too familiar. She wondered if she would ever be a warrior. And then she realized that Flamestar could have made her a warrior during his kits' apprentice ceremony. He must have had a reason. Why? She placed her head on her paws and went to sleep.

_...Sand...Fire..._

"Hi, Sandypaw!"

Sandypaw looked up and got to her paws. "Hello, Twigtail." She was getting used to StarClan visits. "What is it now?"

"Nothing, actually," Twigtail meowed. "I just wanted to stop by and say hiya."

Sandypaw nodded slowly. She wondered if StarClan cats could even do that.

Twigtail walked up to her. "I sense something is wrong. Could you tell me what the problem is?"

Sandypaw hesitated, then blurted out, "I'm not a warrior yet! I've waited so long and I'm not a warrior yet!"

Twigtail smiled and ruffled Sandypaw's fur with a ginger paw. "Flamestar has a lot of things on his mind. He has all the new duties of being leader. You have to respect that." As if sensing what Sandypaw was about to say next, he continued. "And he made his kits apprentices because he promised he would whenever he had the chance. When Dewfeather left, it was the perfect time to do the ceremony."

Sandypaw felt a lump in her throat. "How is Dewfeather?"

"Dewfeather misses FireClan and all her friends there, but otherwise she is happy living with Quailfeather," Twigtail mewed.

"What about her kits?" Sandypaw asked. "Did she give them names?"

"I'm not really supposed to be telling you all this, but I guess I can, since you're my relative." Twigtail licked his paw before answering. "They're fine. And I can show you." He raised a paw. A small bubble-like object appeared in the air. Dewfeather's three kits were showed inside it, resting peacefully beside their mother.

"The light brown tabby she-kit with the silver chest and paws is Silver," Twigtail meowed, pointing with his tail. "The gray tabby is Petunia. The silver tom with the black markings and white stripe is Badger. And the light brown she-kit is..." Twigtail paused. "Miley."

"Miley," Sandypaw murmured, looking at the kit, who yawned and blinked huge amber eyes.

The bubble burst and disappeared, along with the image of the kits.

Sandypaw turned to Twigtail. "Are they happy too?"

Twigtail nodded. "Yes. They are happy. Miley has a great destiny ahead of her, you can be sure of that." Twigtail winced. "There I go again! I let out the secret!"

"Secret?" Sandypaw echoed. She didn't have any clue what Twigtail was talking about. How could that be a secret?

"Well, you don't know what I'm saying," Twigtail sighed. "Good. Now, I think I'll just go, before Sparrowstar finds out I'm gone." He waved his tail, and then disappeared.

Sandypaw looked at the spot where he had stood a few moments before, feeling much better then when she had gone to sleep. She closed her eyes again and curled her tail around her nose, feeling peaceful once more.

_...Sand...Fire..._

Sandypaw woke to the sounds of yowls and caterwauls. She grunted and heaved herself up. Noticing Duskpaw beside her, she asked, "What's going on?"

Duskpaw stared at her. "We're in the middle of a battle. Hello, weren't you paying attention?"

"Not really, I was resting, if you hadn't noticed," Sandypaw meowed. Then the realization of what Duskpaw was saying sank in. "Wait, what battle?"

"WaterClan attacked us while almost everyone was asleep," Duskpaw meowed. "You do know that while you were sleeping a WaterClan cat tried to kill you, right?"

"No, I didn't," Sandypaw mewed, shivering.

"I had to step in to save you," Duskpaw said.

"They had to attack us so soon," Sandypaw grumbled, rolling her eyes. She wanted to fight, but she was so tired.

"Come on, lazybones," Duskpaw meowed, racing out of the apprentice den. Sandypaw stumbled out behind her. She still felt bone weary. All she wanted to do was curl up and rest. But this feeling evaporated quickly once she set paw outside. A WaterClan cat by the name of Tigerstripe bowled into her, rolling her away from Duskpaw. Sandypaw hissed and raked her claws down his spine. He howled in pain and jumped away from her. Sandypaw cast her gaze around the clearing. Brackenfang was herding the kits and elders into the nursery, while everyone else was fighting. She heard a growl from behind her and instictively sidestepped as Hawktalon sprung and landed on the spot where she had been moments before. He growled at her and swiped unsheathed claws at her face. Sandypaw ducked and bit down on his leg. Hawktalon hissed and held up his injured paw, glaring at Sandypaw. He turned and leapt back into the battle.

Sandypaw spotted Streampaw fighting against Shadepaw and rushed over to help her. Streampaw hadn't been out on training sessions yet, but her battle techniques were good, Sandypaw noted. They fought side by side against Shadepaw until Streampaw scratched his eyes. Shadepaw yowled, blood welling out of his wound. He turned and raced away from them.

"Coward," Streampaw snorted.

"Look out!" Sandypaw meowed abruptly. Streampaw ducked as Foxtail soared over her, missing her head by a few mouselengths. He landed on the ground and swiveled around to face Sandypaw and Streampaw.

"Hiya," he meowed. "You seem like pretty she-cats. Maybe we'll get to know each other later, but not right now." He swiped outstretched claws at Sandypaw. Sandypaw moved her head to one side so that he missed, then she bowled into him and flipped him over. "Don't act all fancy with me," she growled. "I've been an apprentice longer than you have, I know all the moves."

Foxtail grunted in reply and managed to rake his claws across her flank before hurrying away to fight Berrystream.

Sandypaw spotted Riverstorm hurtling towards Sorrelwing. She rushed over and darted in front of him, blocking his path. The WaterClan deputy skidded to a halt, snarling, and lunged at her, biting down on her ear. Sandypaw swiped at his face and scratched at his nose. Riverstorm kicked at her belly. Sandypaw fell to the ground, groaning. Riverstorm came up beside her, raising his paw for the death blow. Sandypaw closed her eyes and waited, but the death blow never came. Opening her eyes, she saw Duskpaw and Bloodfeather battering fiercely at Riverstorm, hissing at him. Riverstorm screeched and finally fell back, his fur mangled and bloody.

"Thanks," Sandypaw panted, gulping in air.

"No problemo," Duskpaw and Bloodfeather meowed at the same time, then leapt back into the fray.

Sandypaw stood up weakly, but was knocked off her paws again as Yewclaw slammed his body against her side, bowling her back to the ground. As Yewclaw stepped over and sank his claws into her leg, Sandypaw kicked up with her other hind paw and shoved him away from her. She leapt back up to her paws and lunged, her teeth grazing his muzzle. Yewclaw yelped and pressed his tail to his muzzle, blood seeping out from beneath. He gave Sandypaw a last glare and then rushed at Bearfoot.

Sandypaw gazed around again, trying to regain her breath. She saw Icypool attacking her mother and leapt on her, biting into her shoulders. Icypool turned, her eyes burning, and raked her claws down Sandypaw's cheek. Sandypaw winced but retaliated quickly, dropping her weight so that she fell to the ground. Once she had slithered beneath Icypool, she darted her claws out and raked them across the she-cat's soft belly. There was a screech from above her and Icypool raced away. Sandypaw stood. Her mother had gone back into the battle. Another cat bowled into her. She recognized Dirtfur of WaterClan. She struggled weakly, but Dirtfur was known for his tight grip. He sank his teeth into her neck. Sandypaw screeched and then caught the eye of Snowyfeather, who was watching her with narrowed eyes.

"Snowyfeather! Help me!" Sandypaw managed to gasp out.

Snowyfeather gazed at her, then raced right past her, meowing as she passed, "I don't help Half-Clans."

Sandypaw felt she should have expected that answer, but it still shocked her. This was a _battle, _for StarClan's sake! Why didn't Snowyfeather just help her and torment her another day?

The weight of Dirtfur suddenly lifted off her. Sandypaw saw Frailwing clawing at Dirtfur's face ferociously. Sandypaw gave her a quick nod, then turned and darted her eyes around. Suddenly, she saw Shellstar. The WaterClan leader was clawing at Flamestar fiecely, her mocking voice reaching Sandypaw's ears.

"Where's Oakstar?" Shellstar taunted. "I don't see him anywhere? Is he _dead?_"

Flamestar said nothing, just bulled into her and glared at her, hatred glimmering in his eyes. Sandypaw was a bit shocked. How did Shellstar know that Oakstar had died? Had CloudClan told her? Sandypaw watched as Shellstar sprung back at Flamestar. She knocked into him, pushing him to the ground and sinking her claws into his belly. "I made my promise to Oakstar, Flamestar, and I intend to keep it!" she growled.

Fierce rage suddenly entered Sandypaw. She rushed forward and slammed into Shellstar before the WaterClan leader could do anything to Flamestar. She knocked Shellstar away from the FireClan leader, her eyes burning with hate. Shellstar looked shocked, but her shock lasted for only a heartbeat. In an instant Shellstar was on her paws, raking at Sandypaw's sides. Sandypaw ignored the pain and scratched everywhere she could. She ripped off part of Shellstar's ear and spat it out, then lunged at the WaterClan leader's belly. Shellstar hissed and bit down on Sandypaw's leg. Sandypaw felt nothing, just intense rage. She lunged again at the leader, sinking her teeth deeply into her throat. Shellstar gasped and fell to the ground, her eyes wide. Suddenly, the clearing went silent. Every cat turned their heads toward Sandypaw and Shellstarm but Sandypaw took no notice of it. She leaned close to Shellstar and snarled, "Don't you ever, _ever_, try to hurt Flamestar again, do you understand me!?"

Shellstar stared up at Sandypaw, her eyes wide with something like fear. Blood welled up from her throat. Shellstar then jerked and went still. Sandypaw's own eyes widened, and she stepped back, a bit dazed. Had she just _killed_ Shellstar? Sandypaw felt everyone's gaze on her and the WaterClan leader. Suddenly, Shellstar jerked, and she began to breathe again. Sandypaw understood. She hadn't killed Shellstar exactly. Shellstar had lost a life.

The leader stood up and turned to face Sandypaw. Her eyes glowed with a new respect for her. She dipped her head curtly, then swiveled around and yowled, "Retreat, WaterClan, retreat!"

The WaterClan cats immediately scrambled towards the bramble bushes and out of sight.

Sandypaw stared at the bramble thicket, panting. She felt dizzy and weak. Sinking to her pws, she panted and looked at everyone else. They just stared at her, their eyes wide. Every one of them was watching her with a new respect, except for Snowyfeather of course, who turned and growled quietly. Flamestar padded up to Sandypaw and blinked warmly. "You saved my life," he murmured.

Sandypaw looked up at him. Intense love for her leader hit her, and she realized that whatever happened, even if he did have Snowyfeather as a mate, she would always love him. "No problem," she murmured back before collapsing.

_...Sand...Fire..._

"Heeelllllloooo??"

Sandypaw blinked open her eyes slowly, then closed them again, groaning. She felt a throbbing pain on her side.

"Heelllllooooooooooo?? Do you want me to sing to make you get up, or what?"

Sandypaw opened her eyes fully and stared up at Bloodfeather, who was looking at her with his usual comical expression. "You're awake. Finally," he meowed in satisfaction.

Sandypaw stood up and looked around groggily. "Where am I?"

"The medicine den, duh!" Bloodfeather meowed, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe you forgot already!"

"Oh, right." Sandypaw blinked a few more times, then felt relaxed again. She looked at herself and found that she was covered in cobwebs. For a second she was confused, and then she remembered about the battle. "How's Flamestar?"

"Oh, he's fine," Bloodfeather meowed. "He's just, well, you'll find out soon enough."

Sandypaw blinked curiously, then heard pawsteps behind her. Turning, she saw Grayflower approaching with a wad of herbs in her mouth. She dropped them on the ground in front of Sandypaw. "Feeling better?"

Sandypaw nodded, but she wanted to find out what had happened after the battle. "So what happened after WaterClan retreated?"

Grayflower nodded over to a few cats behind her. Sandypaw squinted her eyes and recognized Bearfoot, Ravenwhisker, and Pigeonpaw. "Those three got hurt. They're the only cats with really serious wounds, besides you, but I've taken care of that." Her eyes saddened. "Tabbypelt died. I couldn't save him. He was hurt badly around his throat."

"What'd Flowerpaw say when she found out?" Sandypaw asked worriedly.

"When I told her she just cried and ran out of the camp. I don't know if she's still out there. She should be back by now."

Sandypaw nodded. "Am I allowed to go into the clearing?"

Grayflower smiled. "Of course."

Sandypaw padded into the clearing with Bloodfeather just behind her. A few cats turned their heads to look at her. Sandypaw felt a bit unnerved by the way they looked at her. They didn't watch her with untrustful and scornful eyes. Now they gazed at her with something like respect and admiration. All the same, Sandypaw was very happy about it.

Suddenly, Duskpaw and Deeppaw came running over to her. "Sandypaw, you won't believe this!"

Sandypaw stopped by them. "What?"

"Flamestar's going to make us warriors!" Duskpaw meowed excitedly.

"Oh, that's great," Sandypaw meowed, trying to sound happy for Duskpaw. She silently wished she would be made a warrior too.

Duskpaw stared at her, grinning. "You don't get it, do you? Flamestar's going to make _you _a warrior too!"

Sandypaw almost fell over in shock. Excitement pulsed through her. "Really?"

"Yes, really!" Deeppaw meowed happily. "Isn't it wonderful? The WaterClan battle was a blessing in disguise!"

"Yes, it was," Sandypaw murmured softly, her eyes alight with happiness.

"Flamestar announced in just awahile ago, while you were out cold," Duskpaw said. "You should have _seen _the look on Snowyfeather's face when she hard him! She was all like, 'Oh, Flamestar, do reconsider!' and blah blah blah!" Duskpaw laughed. "Serves her right!"

Sandypaw joined in with her laughter. She wondered what her name would be, and hoped she would be ready for it.

She saw Flamestar leap onto the HighBoulder, looking down on all the cats calmly. Sandypaw kneaded the ground with her paws eagerly, and jumped up when she heard Flamestar call, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the HighBoulder for a Clan meeting!"

The cats of FireClan swarmed into the clearing and looked up at their leader expectantly.

Flamestar looiked back at them before speaking. "In the battle today, Tabbypelt died."

There was a cry from somewhere in the crowd. Sandypaw twisted her head around to see where it was coming from and spotted Flowerpaw wailing. She had come back and was still mourning, like Grayflower had said. Leopardpaw went over to her sister and whispered something in her ear as Flamestar went on. "We will bury him after a while. But now we have something to do, something that should have been done a long, long time ago." He flicked his tail. "Duskpaw, Deeppaw, and Sandypaw, come here."

Sandypaw and Duskpaw gave each other an excited glance and raced up the HighBoulder. Deeppaw followed more slowly.

Flamestar looked at the three of them and began. "I, Flamestar, leader of FireClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained long and hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He turned to the apprentices. "Duskpaw, Deeppaw, and Sandypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life.

"I do," Duskpaw meowed eagerly.

"I do," Deeppaw meowed slowly, his eyes shining.

"I do," Sandypaw meowed solemnly and with no hesitation.

"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior names," Flamestar meowed. "Duskpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Duskwing. StarClan honors your courage and your strength, and we welcome you as a new warrior of FireClan."

Duskwing licked Flamestar's shoulder and bounded down the HighBoulder to stand by Bloodfeather.

"Deeppaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Deepfoot," Flamestar said. "StarClan honors your skill and strength, and we welcome you as a new warrior of FireClan."

Deepfoot did the same as Duskwing and pranced down to stand by his sister. Cloverwing came over to the two of them and stood happily by their sides.

Flamestar looked at Sandypaw. Sandypaw felt her heart thumping wildly, and not just because he was about to give her her warrior name.

"Sandypaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Sandycloud," Flamestar meowed. "StarClan honors you determination, loyalty, and bravery through battle, and we welcome you as a new warrior of FireClan."

Flamestar rested his muzzle on Sandycloud's bowed head. Sandycloud licked his shoulder and felt tingles running up and down her spine as she did this. Before she moved away, Flamestar murmured, "Thank you for saving my life."

"You're welcome," Sandycloud meowed, her eyes shining like emeralds. She met Flamestar's gaze for a moment, then padded down to stand by Duskwing and Deepfoot. They stood proudly as the Clan chanted their new names.

"Duskwing! Deepfoot! Sandycloud! Duskwing! Deepfoot! Sandycloud!"

Sandycloud looked around, realizing happily that the loudest cheers for her were coming from her friends and family. She realized suddenly that she had a lot of those. Maybe she hadn't really needed to prove herself. Maybe it just took time. Then she realized also how most of the remaining cats that didn't trust her respected her now ecer since she had taken one of Shellstar's lives. Maybe it was meant to be this way.

Sandycloud looked around and caught Snowyfeather's eye. Sno9wyfeather stuck out her tongue and hissed, flattening her ears. Sandycloud ignored her. She was sure Snowyfeather would tease her worse now that she had become a warrior, but it didn't matter. She was a warrior, not an apprentice. Snowyfeather couldn't bully her around whenever she wanted. Duskwing looked at Sandycloud and whispered, "Yeah, we'll give Snowyfeather a peace of her mind, won't we!"

Sandycloud purred in agreement and gazed at all the cats. She was a true FireClan cat now. Maybe Snowyfeather didn't like her. Maybe there was trouble ahead of them. But she was a warrior, and right now to her, that was all that mattered for now.

* * *

**Sandycloud's a warrior!! PARTYTIME!! (partays all night) Ok, let's stop. (stops partying) I feel so sorry for Dewfeather. It ended out nicely though, didn't it! And now the story's over! But it's not exactly finished! I'll be writing the sequel to this, called _A Prophecy of Sand. _Watch out for it!**

**I'll be away for more than a month on vacation. I don't know if I'll have time to write stories. I might, but I doubt it. (cries) That's why I finished this story, so I wouldn't have to worry about it. So see you next month!**

**Oh, and could you please read my other story, _Silver Memories.? _It's better than it sounds! And also, I made a website on freewebs! It has all the Clans, FireClan, CloudClan, AirClan, and WaterClan. It needs more members, so could you at least go look at it? Thanks! Here it is:**

**/gingerflight170**

**And seeing as Sandycloud is finally a warrior... you can ask for any plushie and you'll get it! YAY! (cheers) And if you review, I'll put your answers on the first chappie in the next story for this. See you guys next month, and bye!! (waves forlornly)**


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